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Special Initiatives
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Third Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković“Podgorica – Berane – Kolašin, 6 – 9 July 2010
This third Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, with the support of the Capacity Development Programme (CDP)*, the UNDP in Montenegro and the Government of Norway. The School is named after the first Montenegrin Minister of Foreign Affairs Gavro Vuković.
The Third Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats was dedicated to regional cooperation, and it represented an excellent opportunity to exchange opinions and share experiences on the current security, political and economic aspects of the cooperation. At the same time, this was an opportunity for socializing and interaction between young diplomats which, as they said, additionally contributed to their professional development and to their future contribution to peace and security in the world.
“The interests in acquiring knowledge on diplomacy are greater with every year, and after such training participants are better equipped to make right decisions. We truly believe that this project represents one of the best forms of cooperation and partnership between the countries of the South-East European region and wider. This is our joint success,” said Alexander Avanessov, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro after the closing of the School. Video Statements: From the Opening of the Third Montenegrin School for Young Diplomats: Mr. Milan Roćen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro and Alexander Avanessov, UNDP Resident Representative LOC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKhIUaldzis&feature=channel Mr. Nils Ragnar Kamsvåg, Deputy General Director for Western Balkans, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway and Mr. Vuka Golubović, Mayor of Berane LOC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhRq7vfoufo&feature=channel From the Closing of the Third Montenegrin School for Young Diplomats: Alexander Avanessov, UNDP Resident Representative ENG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjfs_18J4a0 Mirsad Bibović, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro ENG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6cRfM82X7Q&feature=related Participants ENG: Vera Dudnikova – MoFA RUSSIA: Therese Aalberg – MoFA NORWAY: Steven de Wilde – MoFA BELGIUM: Borče Stamov – MoFA FYR MACEDONIA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRHs8rrR9v0&feature=channel
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For four days in July, young diplomats from all over the world met in Montenegro to take part in the Diplomatic Summer School. The diplomats came from Palestine and Israel, from Macedonia and Greece, from the entire Balkans region, from many countries in the EU, as well as USA, Norway, and China; a total of twenty-nine countries. Fittingly, therefore, the theme of the school was Regional Cooperation. 
Around 50 young diplomats from twenty nine countries of the world participated in the School, while the lecturers were prominent practitioners and theoreticians of international politics from the region and the world, including Roderick Moore, U.S. Ambassador; Leopold Maurer, Ambassador of the European Union to Montenegro; John-Christer Ahlander, Ambassador, Sweden; Arthur Koll, Ambassador of Israel to Montenegro; Valentin Inzko, EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ivan Petkov, Special Envoy of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Black Sea Region; Živko Andrijašević, University of Montenegro; Michael Haltzel, Senior Fellow, Center for Transatlantic Relations, John Hopkins University; Jan-Peter Olters, World Bank, Resident Representative to Montenegro; Ranko Vujačić, UNIDO, Vienna.
At the Summer School the participants particularly dealt with the topics related to regional cooperation, such as: the basis for friendly relations between neighbour countries and its importance in the process of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration; new European security architecture and comparative experiences in overcoming regional conflicts. On the agenda were also topics related to the interdependence of local, regional and global development, development of a better business environment as a contribution to the regional cooperation, as well as comparative experiences in linking economic to social development. In addition, an interactive workshop was held about achievements and challenges of the countries in the regional cooperation initiatives, in the form of individual presentations of representatives of the countries participating in the Summer School. 
Mr. Milan Roćen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, at the Opening of the Third Summer School for Young Diplomats, spoke of the importance of the Duke Gavro Vuković as a founder of Montenegrin diplomacy and the first minister of foreign affairs in the Principality of Montenegro. He also used the opportunity to thank foreign ministers and governments who honored Montenegro by sending their representatives to this Diplomatic School. “This writes new pages of mutual history. I would like to underline that the school this year gathered young diplomats from Western Balkan countries together with their colleagues from Israel and Palestine, as well as Russia, USA and China. They are the future of their countries and a part of our mutual, happier future,” said Minister Roćen. He added that Montenegro as an old European country and now the youngest member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and OSCE, may give a contribution to the regional stability significantly greater than its size. “It is realistic to expect that Montenegro will get a positive opinion from the European Union on its candidate status, which would be a green light to start pre‐accession negotiations in the nearest future. It would be a great contribution to the regional stability if other regions could use positive experience of the Western Balkans,” Minister Roćen concluded.
Mr. Alexander Avanessov, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro said: “It is already the third cohort of the Diplomatic School in Montenegro, and we in UNDP are very proud to be co-organizing this excellent, leading initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro. The very fact that the work of this Summer School is continuing in such a growing pace shows that this initiative has a great demand in the region and that is useful for the region.” He also emphasized that Montenegro was a great promoter of regional cooperation, and that the United Nations were very much supporting this role, because it was very close to what the UN was trying to do in context of regional cooperation. “In the UNDP we have national and international programmes, and here in Montenegro we have several regional initiatives which we believe are really contributing to the regional cooperation, peace and stability. They refer to such things as climate change, remediation of environmental hot spots, social inclusion and democratic governance. Regional initiatives in these areas are a real input into a better understanding between countries and a better development cooperation, and in the final analysis into a better life of people,” said Mr. Avanessov. 
Mr. Nils Ragnar Kamsvåg, Deputy General Director for Western Balkans, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway stated: “What we learned, particularly as a small country, is – that for us it is very important to keep very good relations with our neighbors. It is the development of regional cooperation, both economically and politically, which in many ways in successful countries have been one of the main keys to development and stability in the region. For us, our experience has taught us that without this economic, political and cultural cooperation we would probably not have succeeded as developed countries, as much as we have succeeded.” He also reminded that in the region that so recently was hit by wars and conflicts it was particularly important to build trust and develop strong regional cooperation. “It is a key to the region’s further Euro-Atlantic integration. We have seen great progress in the region over the past years, and we have a lot of international organizations which are all contributing to strengthening regional cooperation. Further developing of this process remains very important, and that is why we are very happy to be able to support this School, as a part of our ongoing support for developing Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are also very happy with the work that the UNDP is doing in the organization of this School,” Mr. Kamsvåg pointed out. 
Mr. Vuka Golubović, Mayor of Berane said: “It is a great pleasure to see you all and be with young diplomats in Berane today, in the birthplace and the town that sent to the world one of the most prominent people of this area and the whole modern Montenegro, Duke Gavro Vuković.” He also emphasized that the lecturers would be the Head of European Union Delegation in Podgorica Leopold Maurer, American Ambassador Roderick Moore, Head of the World Bank in Montenegro Jan Peter Olters, Professor of History Živko Andrijašević, Israeli Ambassador Arthur Cole and many others.
At the closing of the Third Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats, Mr. Mirsad Bibović, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro said that it was a great success that the School this year gathered participants from 29 countries from 3 continents, who acquired new knowledge and skills in the domain of regional cooperation. “We believe that this project represents one of the most successful partnerships being built and implemented in the region of the South-East Europe, and that it represents our joint success,” said Mr. Bibović. He also evaluated that a network of young diplomats from all over the world is being created through this School and their everyday work is of a crucial importance for maintaining communications and good cooperation between our countries and governments. 
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