U.S. Continues Rule of Law Assistance to Montenegro

August 31, 2012

Ambassador Brown and Minister Markovic after the amendment signing (photo: Government of Montenegro)

On August 31, U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro Sue K. Brown and Montenegro's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and Human Rights Duško Marković signed an amendment to the Letter of Agreement on Law Enforcement between the Government of the United States and the Government of Montenegro. The amendment extends U.S. assistance to strengthen the rule of law in Montenegro through the end of 2013.

The Letter of Agreement (LOA) was initially signed on July 8, 2011. The original Letter of Agreement established a joint program implemented by the State Department Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Senior Police and Resident Legal Advisor Programs. The program provides support to the Montenegrin Government in strengthening the rule of law by increasing the capacity of Montenegro's criminal justice institutions to combat organized crime and corruption. The program also aims to bolster public confidence in Montenegro's criminal justice institutions as Montenegro moves forward on the path toward Euro-Atlantic integration.

The U.S. Embassy’s rule of law programming includes training, donations of equipment, and technical and expert support. The main beneficiaries of this program are the Special Investigative Team, which works under the leadership of the Special Prosecutor of Montenegro for Fighting Organized Crime, Corruption, War Crimes and Terrorism; the Judicial Training Center of Montenegro; the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office; and the Police Directorate. These programs, in turn, benefit judges, prosecutors, police officers and the citizens of Montenegro.