Abu dhabi: Majda Ad‚ovic, Minister of Public Works of Montenegro, described Montenegro's partnership with the United Arab Emirates as strong and expressed confidence that it will grow further in the coming period. In an interview with Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of WGS 2026, Adovic pointed to the agreements already in place between the two countries, including an economic cooperation agreement covering 11 areas of collaboration.
According to Emirates News Agency, Montenegro is focusing on tourism and energy, with substantial renewable resources such as wind, solar, and hydropower. Ad‚¬ÅÅovic mentioned a signed agreement between Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC - Masdar and EPCG to establish a new hydropower plant within Montenegro. She also expressed interest in projects inspired by UAE's luxury tourist resorts, given Montenegro's Mediterranean coastline and mountainous regions.
Ad‚ovic connected the summit discussions to Montenegro's plans to establish a data centre, emphasizing a location with strong energy potential. She noted Montenegro's unique connectivity to the undersea electricity cable with Italy, allowing electricity exports, and highlighted its status as having the cheapest electricity in Europe, which could support data centre development amid rising demand linked to artificial intelligence.
Air connectivity was also discussed as a priority for boosting tourism cooperation, with ongoing work on direct flights between Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Podgorica. Beyond this, transportation cooperation is being explored by road and sea.
Ad‚ovic acknowledged challenges in public-private partnerships due to EU integration legislative requirements, but efforts are being made to address these issues. She noted the need for stronger public-private cooperation to advance major projects, leveraging private-sector experience without compromising quality.
She also emphasized transparency, noting that citizens want to know about community developments. The Ministry of Public Works is working on a smart map of Montenegro to provide updates on capital projects and public fund allocations.