Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – The .ME domain is a partnership project established in 2008 with the aim of leveraging a digital resource through cooperation between the Montenegrin Government and a consortium consisting of GoDaddy, Afilias (Identity Digital), and ME-net, operating in accordance with the law, said Executive Director Predrag Lesic.

He stated that the partnership was formed when reputable American companies placed their trust in the people who established ME-net.

“The true value of the .ME domain was created by the employees of Domen and all their associates from Montenegro, who, with the support of American investors, built a product that is recognized worldwide, trusted, and widely recommended by business partners to their clients globally,” Lesic said in a press release.

He noted that for the full 15 years since the contract, drafted by the Government, was signed, the company operated in accordance with both the agreement and the laws of Montenegro. From April 2023 until December of last year, however, the company was involved in a dispute with the Government due to what he described as an irresponsible business relationship toward a company with which it had successfully cooperated for the previous 15 years.

“Following the conclusion of the court proceedings, Domen continues to manage the .ME domain, a critical piece of infrastructure owned by the State of Montenegro, because otherwise there would be a collapse of all services using the .ME domain both in Montenegro and globally. There is nothing controversial about the fact that we continue to manage the .ME domain, considering that we have received no instructions from the Government on how to proceed, which is in fact the truly problematic circumstance,” Lesic stated.

He added that another issue is the attitude toward the company and what he described as a public narrative by government officials aimed at discrediting the successful management of the .ME domain for personal and political gain.