OSCE Mission to Montenegro organizes workshop to review National Strategy on preventing and combating terrorism, money laundering and terrorist financing

Montenegro’s draft National Strategy on preventing and combating terrorism, money laundering and terrorist financing 2019-2022 and the related Action Plan were reviewed at a workshop organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the country’s National Security Council on 10 December 2018 in Podgorica.

Opening the workshop, Maryse Daviet, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, said the Mission remains committed to enhancing the capacity of the national and regional institutions in preventing and combating terrorism. “The OSCE is also a primary contributor to providing a framework for multi-stakeholder dialogue, awareness-raising, the exchange of expertise and networking,” she said.

Slavko Stojanović, Secretary of the National Security Council, said that preventing and suppressing terrorism, money laundering and the financing of terrorism is a priority.

“Our efforts to preserve and improve the safety of our citizens and their property, and all those who reside in Montenegro, are confirmed by the joint efforts that are invested in the prevention and fight against violent extremism and radicalization that leads to terrorism,” he said.

Expert Albert Cernigoj, who reviewed the draft documents, said that shifting trends in security, defence, the economy and society require that national capacities and capabilities, security policies, systems, mechanisms and tools be adapted to new challenges.

“Montenegro still enjoys a relatively high level of security in a relatively unstable regional and international environment,” he said. “Yet along with other countries it is increasingly exposed to different security risks and threats.”

This workshop was a follow-up to an earlier workshop organized by the OSCE Mission in April this year which focused on developing a draft National Strategy and Action Plan.