The state wants to regain the Port of Bar, negotiations are underway with the Turkish company Port of Adria, and after the purchase of shares it will be decided how the port will be managed, the Ministry of Finance announced. However, some interlocutors of TVCG say that any move regarding Port of Bar should be consulted with partners from NATO and the European Union.
While waiting for the return of Port Bar to state ownership, a plan is being made for what to do next. Although it has long been measured by very strong players, one thing is certain. Aleksandar Damjanović, Minister of Finance, says that it remains state-owned.
– There is no sale of the state package, it is desirable to have strategic partnerships with those companies from those states and countries that are on the corridor from Bar to Belgrade and towards Budapest – announced Damjanović.
Dejan Đurović from DF believes that Port should not be given to anyone. He welcomes the Government’s idea of returning one of the strategically important companies under state control and says that he expects the Port to come to life at full capacity.
– By reorganizing the railway, establishing a new maritime hub of the Port of Bar, so that the port would be one of the main economic facilities and subjects when it comes to the economy – says Đurović.
Damjanović says that they are thinking of making Luka Bar a unique platform.
– Together with the reconstructed railway from Bar to Belgrade and Budapest, it will be a serious hub that tomorrow can be energetically significant in terms of the construction of certain terminals and other capacities – said Damjanović.
However, economic and security interests are intertwined in this story.
According to Dragan Samardžić, a retired admiral, the contract that will be concluded must contain our obligations towards NATO, but also our obligations towards the EU and what is the national interest of Montenegro.
– I would suggest that during privatization we keep our partners, NATO and the EU, informed, and that we closely cooperate with them regarding privatization – Samardžić believes.
As Damjanović says, it would be desirable if our political interests were aligned with economic interests.
– To get partnerships between countries that inherit common values, which Montenegro inherits as a member of NATO and as a candidate for the EU – said Damjanović.
He emphasizes that we have significant interest from the Hungarian state and its companies and the Serbian state and Serbian companies for the valorization of the Port and port potential.
Samardžić notes that it is known that NATO’s biggest opponent is Russia, and that China is a potential opponent.
– Even at the start we can eliminate companies coming from those countries, and from other countries we need to talk with our partners from NATO and the EU – said Samardžić.
Dejan Đurović, who is also the president of the Committee for Economy, believes that the Port of Bar should be a business entity. And while Samardžić believes that the Ministry of Defense should be included in the whole story, Damjanović believes that Montenegro will manage to find an agreement between security risks and what are commercial interests.
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