Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović has declined to enact a law that would have leased the expansive Velika Plaža (Long Beach) in Ulcinj for 99 years to an Arab businessman for the development of tourism and residential facilities.
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| Jakov Milatović and Ulcinj Beach |
While President Milatović did sign the Law on the Ratification of the Agreement on Economic Cooperation between Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates, he withheld his signature from the specific law concerning tourism and real estate. In a statement released on Tuesday, the President's office cited "numerous open issues regarding the content of the agreement" as the reason for this decision.
These laws were approved by the Parliament of Montenegro on April 23rd and had faced opposition from Albanian deputies.
Although the agreements themselves did not specify the location of the investments, the Montenegrin government had announced that they were linked to investments by Arab businessman Mohamed Alabbar in Velika Plaža in Ulcinj. This announcement sparked significant opposition from the local community, environmentalists, and the opposition. The proposed lease involved approximately 20 million square meters of the beach for a period of 99 years, with plans for the construction of tourist and residential buildings.
Notably, the reactions of the community in Ulcinj were specifically mentioned as a key factor in President Milatović's decision to reject the law. This suggests that local concerns played a significant role in halting the controversial lease agreement.