The Foreign Ministry of Montenegro

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Born on July 18, 1961 in Cetinje.

• Professor of Comparative Politics, Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro.

• Ambassador of Montenegro to the USA (non-resident Ambassador to Canada) from December 2010 to October 2016.

• Founding father and the first dean of the Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro (2003-2010). 

• Member of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission (European Commission for Democracy through Law) from 2005 to present. 

• Founder and President of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), think tank based in Podgorica, Montenegro (1998-2010). 

• President of the Montenegrin Diplomatic Academy (2006-2010). 

• During 1990s, active in Montenegrin and federal (FR Yugoslavia) politics. Vice-president of the Social-democratic Party of Montenegro (1993-1996) and Member of of the Federal parliament of FR Yugoslavia (1992-1996).

• Author of two books: Malformed Democracy: The Drama of Yugoslav Post-communism (Belgrade, Serbia 1993) Real-socialism: Anatomy of Colaps (Podgorica, Montenegro 1996). 

• Co-author in the books: Authoritarianism and Democracy: Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia – Institutional Framework (Belgrade, Serbia 2003); Between Authoritarianism and Democracy: Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia – Civil Society and Political Culture (Belgrade, Serbia 2004); Referendum in Montenegro 2006 (Podgorica, Montenegro 2007); Electoral Legislation and Elections in Montenegro 1990-2006 (Podgorica, Montenegro 2007); Europe and the Americas: Trans-Atlantic Approach to Human Rights (Copenhagen, 2015); Electoral and Party System in Montenegro - Perspectives of Inter-party Democracy (Podgorica, Montenegro, 2016).

• Author in international magazines for political science and international affairs, including: Journal of Democracy (Washington DC, USA), East European Constitutional Review, (Budapest-New York) and Sudost Europa (Munich, Germany). Columnist in former Belgrade daily Naša Borba (1990-1997) and in Montenegrin weekly Monitor (1994-2003). 

• Guest lecturer in several universities or institutes, including: The Georgetown University, John Hopkins University/SAIS and The US Foreign Service Institute; (Washington DC, USA); Colby University (Maine,USA) University of Hamburg (Germany); La Sapienzza University, Rome (Italy); University of Belgrade (Serbia), etc. 

• Former member of international study group of the Aspen Institute that published report/book "Future of the Balkans" (working sessions: Berlin-Sarajevo-Istanbul 1997-98).

• Testified twice (1998 and 2000) as an expert before Helsinki Commission of the US Congress. 

• Fluent in English. Reading knowledge of Russian. 

• Hobby: chess master. Awarded with the title US National Master for life by the US Chess Federation 

• Married to Aneta Spaić, they have a son Simon.