Podgorica, (MINA) – President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic has returned the Law amending the Law on the Status of Descendants of the Petrovic Njegos Dynasty to Parliament for reconsideration, stating that it is questionable whether the law is compatible with the Constitution and the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property.

According to the press release from the President’s office, the Montenegrin Constitution establishes that the state protects natural and cultural heritage, while the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property stipulates that immovable cultural property in state ownership cannot be alienated.

“According to the newly-adopted law, the Krusevac Castle in Podgorica, with the associated land, is transferred to the private ownership of Prince Nikola Petrovic, even though it is a building with the status of protected immovable cultural property for decades”, Milatovic stated in the explanation.

He argues that the state took a constitutional, legal and balanced approach towards the descendants of the Petrovic Njegos dynasty through the law from 2011, which provided for the construction of a family residence in Cetinje, as well as the allocation of an apartment in Podgorica.

“Granting the Krusevac castle into private ownership creates an unconstitutional and illegal precedent that could additionally open up space for similar claims by descendants of the same and other dynasties concerning state-owned property of historical and cultural importance, which would also be harmful to the national interests”, said Milatovic. 

He also called on the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property, as the institution responsible for the protection of cultural property, to urgently issue an opinion on the law in question.