The Ministry of Energy and Mining of Montenegro rejected the call of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik regarding the participation of that country in the construction of the 'Buk Bijela' hydroelectric plant on Drina river.

Dodik expressed the call during his recent visit to Montenegro when he met with Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro Andrija Mandic.

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Montenegro's ministry replied that, for them, the construction of the ‘Buk Bijela’ hydroelectric power plant was completed in 2004 with the Parliamentary Declaration on the Protection of the Tara River, but also with the UNESCO report from 2005.

“This put an end to the ideas about the construction of hydroelectric power plants in this area, which could affect the “tear of Europe”,” said Ministry, the local media reported.

This response provided the answer to the question of whether Montenegro could participate in this project, if the height of the dam would be lower, so that the reservoir would not enter the territory of Montenegro and would not have an impact on the protected area of the Tara River.

“The Ministry of Energy and Mining will not deal with hypothetical situations, but with relevant indicators and documents and the valid legislation of Montenegro that prohibits construction in that area. As far as environmental impact assessments are concerned, the ministry that is in charge of ecology is competent here,” said the ministry.