Slovenian government got acquainted with the expressed interest of domestic companies for a group engagement in Montenegro in projects for building a chain of hydro energy facilities on Morača river, as well as with the initiative for a trilateral memorandum of understanding between Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, Ministry of Economy of Montenegro and Ministry of Forestry and Water Management of Turkey.
Infrastructure ministry’s Energetika-portal.si said cited the Ministry of Foreign affairs saying that the proposed memorandum is based on Slovenian–Turkish Strategic Partnership, a document signed on March 3, 2011 in Ankara by prime ministers Borut Pahor and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (both now presidents), and that it is also related to Montenegro’s Energy Development Strategy until 2030. Adoption of the documents and series of talks between diplomats of Slovenia and Turkey on the one side, and officials of Montenegro on the other, were followed by a search for possible ways of cooperation in getting the projects, and later in the construction of energy facilities, which exceeds Slovenian companies’ capacity, the report said. The aim of the memorandum is to connect the economies of Slovenia and Turkey through consortiums for complementary work, where Turkish companies are builders, and Slovenian ones are suppliers of machines, electric and hydro equipment, the statement added.
Without cooperation based on the memorandum, Slovenian companies could participate only as subcontractors, as Montenegro, on the base of its legislation, generally signs memorandums like this one for grand projects, the report said.
In late March, president of Slovenia Borut Pahor said possibilities for expansion of cooperation with Turkey exist, namely in constructing the Morača hydroelectric power plant in Montenegro. At his official visit to Slovenia, the president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed with his counterpart and emphasized that cooperation could grow stronger mainly in the fields of construction and automotive industry.
