Citizens oppose the Montenegrin government's decision to lease the Great Beach of Uqin to Arab investors.
The citizens of Ulcinj in Montenegro, instead of celebrating Ulcinj Day on April 5, organized a massive protest, raising their voices against two agreements that Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic signed with the United Arab Emirates. Their ratification in Parliament paves the way for the 99-year lease of the Great Beach of Ulcinj, a virgin pearl of 13 kilometers with over 20 million square meters, which is one of the largest sandy beaches in Europe. The protesters held dozens of banners that read: "Ulcinj is not for sale", "Hands off the Great Beach", "We are for investments and sustainable development, but we must ask ourselves about our fate and that of our children".
Representatives of political entities participating in the local parliament, deputies and party leaders, as never before during these three decades of pluralism in Montenegro, spoke with one language: "Ulcinj is not for sale". Representatives of the civil sector reiterated that they stand with the citizens of Ulcinj and against agreements that suspend the Laws of Montenegro and pave the way for "money laundering".
According to him, over 30 billion euros are at stake that Arab businessman Muhamed Alabar would invest in the Big Beach project, which means the construction of tourist facilities, an airport, a large-scale hospital, two marinas, two universities and other facilities. It remains to be seen whether Ulcinj and its residents will manage to protect Big Beach from this announced investment with many unknowns.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajic has already begun consultations with parliamentary parties on the approval of the agreement. So far, the Prime Minister's party "Europe Now" and the Bosnian party have said yes to the approval of this agreement. In fact, he has the numbers in parliament to approve this document, but there are still a few days left to see how the other entities in the government will position themselves.
Albanian coalitions have said that they will not vote for the agreement that is to the detriment of the city of Ulcinj and its residents. The protesters and the protest leaders themselves are aware that anything is possible. They said that the "battle" has just begun and we must be prepared for surprises but also for opposition and other steps to hinder the goals of the Montenegrin prime minister./ DW (A2 Televizion)
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