Montenegro on Saturday handed over a cultural center in the coastal town of Tivat to Croatian minority organizations, marking the first concrete step in resolving lingering disputes with neighboring Croatia.
The “Josip Marković” Cultural Center, located in Donja Lastva, will be used by the Croatian National Council of Montenegro and the non-governmental organization Dux Croatorum.
After the handover agreement was signed, foreign ministers Gordan Grlić-Radman of Croatia and Filip Ibrahimović of Montenegro dismissed speculation that the building would be granted extraterritorial status.
“The agreement specifies that the facility will be used by Croatian associations in Montenegro in full compliance with Montenegrin laws,” Grlić-Radman said. “This is not a diplomatic or consular mission, so it cannot have extraterritorial status under international law.”
Ibrahimović called the handover “a positive, constructive gesture,” and said it should be seen as such.
Outstanding Issues Remain
Despite the move, several contentious issues continue to strain relations between Podgorica and Zagreb.
One of them is the name of the public swimming pool in Kotor, which local authorities in 2021 named after Zoran “Džimi” Gopčević, a former Yugoslav national water polo player who won silver at the 1977 European Championships in Jönköping and bronze at the 1978 World Championships in Berlin. Gopčević died unexpectedly in 2000.
Croatian officials condemned the decision, alleging Gopčević had served as a guard at the Morinj wartime detention facility.
Another unresolved matter is the status of the Prevlaka peninsula, a small, uninhabited territory near the entrance to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor. Under a provisional agreement, Croatia retains control over the land and the surrounding sea area, while the waters adjacent to the Montenegrin town of Igalo remain classified as “no man’s sea,” a temporary arrangement that persists.
The two countries have yet to finalize a permanent resolution on Prevlaka, more than two decades after the breakup of Yugoslavia.