Interview With Milena Djurdjic, TV Montenegro

TV Montenegro: Mr. Fried, I first want to thank you for doing this interview for TV Montenegro.

I’d like to start from this morning. You had a very, not very, but kind of long meeting with the Montenegro Foreign Affairs Minister. Would you care to comment on the meeting, how it went, what did you talk about?

Assistant Secretary Fried: Sure. First of all, thank you very much for this interview. It’s a pleasure to see the return of Crna Gora. I was going to say the newest country in the world, but in fact it is a returned country. There was of course the Kraljevina Crna Gora. I had a very good meeting with the Foreign Minister. It was a pleasure to talk to him, a pleasure to congratulate him on the renewed independence of his country, and a pleasure to talk about U.S.-Montenegrin relations. They are good, and I have no doubt they will develop in a very good way.

We talked about bilateral relations, we talked about regional issues, and we talked about really the history of the region and how we hope that Montenegro can develop as a European country moving toward Europe.

TV Montenegro: When you mentioned relations between Montenegro and the United States, you said they’re good. Can you tell me, there is always, of course, room to improve. Can you tell me where those relations should improve, in which field?

Assistant Secretary Fried: I don’t want to suggest that they need to improve because they’re bad; they aren’t. But we look forward to cooperation in many areas. Montenegro is looking to contribute to the international community, to do its part for freedom and security. There are things that we hope to do together with Montenegro. The Balkans have been a source of war and catastrophe since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, and Montenegro also suffered because of this, though other countries suffered much much more. You didn’t have a war. You were lucky.

Kosovo is the last open question in the Balkans, and it needs to be resolved. Montenegro can help keep the region stable and moving toward Europe, even as this issue is resolved. And we hope that Montenegro can be a good example of a country moving to Europe, confident of the future and not falling victim to the awful, foolish, destructive nationalism that brought down old Yugoslavia and brought misery to so many.

TV Montenegro: One of the important things when we are talking about relations, and I’m coming back again to that, as I would say economy, now that Montenegro has resolved all political issues, it has turned however economic reform in order to go to European Union. Can you tell me how you see development maybe of economic relations between the States and Montenegro? Actually our Prime Minister was talking to some American business people that seem interested in investing. How can Montenegro attract American investment?

Assistant Secretary Fried: Your Foreign Minister raised this issue, and we discussed it. The fact is foreign capital will come where conditions are good. If Montenegro is open to investment, the investment will come. Montenegro is in competition with other countries. All countries want investment because it’s good, it brings jobs, it brings technology, it brings money.

Montenegro has certain advantages. Your tourism potential is enormous. I remember Sveti Stefan (St.Stephan), the royal capital Cetinje and the Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor). These are beautiful places. They should be on the A-Grade European and world tourist map.

You have an industrial base, which may be interesting. You have a skilled and educated work force.

So my advice is open your country to foreign investment, build strong, good institutions to keep investment honest and clean, and it will come.

TV Montenegro: Do you think Montenegro is on the right track for that issue of concern?

Assistant Secretary Fried: I think it’s important to build the institutions, to make sure that dirty money stays out and clean money comes in. This is important, and I think it’s something that all countries emerging from the old system have to pay attention to.

TV Montenegro: For a long time America was supporting Montenegro. When political questions were concerned, America was very neutral, but they were leaning to European Union to resolve those issues. But economically it was supporting Montenegro. Is America going to continue with that support? Is that amount of support going to be bigger now that Montenegro is an independent country?

Assistant Secretary Fried: We’re very pleased to have worked with Montenegro and supported Montenegro and even given some assistance, but the really big money, the real money comes from foreign investment and Montenegro’s economic relationship with the world.

Montenegrins are justifiably a very proud people. It’s not a question of charity, it’s a question of investment, of capital flowing to Montenegro and then providing Montenegrins with jobs and the opportunity to make business. So the United States is going to help if it can.

We’re proud of our relations. It’s good that we’ve worked together. But Montenegro is now an independent country, a free people. They can do a lot of the work and you will see the results.

TV Montenegro: Montenegro and the States have over the [inaudible] diplomatic side. When can we expect American embassy to be open in Podgorica?

Assistant Secretary Fried: This is moving forward. I hope it will happen soon. We’re looking forward to this. Of course there used to be an American embassy in Cetinje. That was in another time so we’re looking forward to the embassy, to sending an ambassador to Podgorica, to [inaudible].

TV Montenegro: Are you planning to visit Montenegro any time soon?

Assistant Secretary Fried: I certainly hope so. I have been to Podgorica, to Cetinje, to Niksic, to Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor), to Sveti Stefan. My family is very fond of Sveti Stefan, obviously. It’s a beautiful place.

I’d like to come to Montenegro this year.

TV Montenegro: One more question.

We are [inaudible] General Assembly session, was in a way historical for Montenegro because its delegation was for the first time representing an independent country. How do you see, how do you comment on Montenegro’s, let’s say first big international appearance?

Assistant Secretary Fried: Montenegro has enjoyed a lot of respect because in the terrible years of Milosevic Montenegro stood up and said, "We’re not part of this. This kind of nationalism is not what we stand for."

And the world remembers this. I think it was quite successful for Montenegro. We’re looking forward to good relations with your country, and I’m looking forward to seeing your beautiful country again soon.

TV Montenegro: Thank you for your time.