Podgorica is facing its most turbulent public debate in years, triggered by a violent incident linked to Turkish nationals — and raising difficult questions about the scale and consequences of Turkish migration and investment in Montenegro.
On 25 October, in the Zabjelo district of the capital, several men from Turkey and Azerbaijan allegedly stabbed a young Montenegrin who had intervened to defend a group of girls. The attack provoked street protests, led to clashes with police, and resulted in businesses owned by Turks being vandalised in Podgorica and Herceg Novi.
While the suspects are now in custody, the incident has sparked a wave of scrutiny over the growing Turkish footprint in the country. “There are 13,500 Turkish citizens in Montenegro,” Interior Minister Filip Šaranović said, pushing back against wildly inflated speculations of 100,000 circulating online. Yet, the numbers have undeniably risen sharply since 2016 — the year of the failed coup attempt in Turkey.
According to the Novistandard, following that event, many well-off Turks, including members of the Gulen movement avoiding President Erdoğan’s crackdown, sought refuge and opportunity abroad. Montenegro’s mild climate, coastal real estate, favourable investment rules, and lax oversight under former president Milo Đukanović made it an attractive haven. Turkish entrepreneurs quickly became visible in tourism hubs from Budva to Kotor, opening restaurants, retail outlets, and property ventures.
The migration trend soon broadened beyond investors. Labourers from Kurdish regions, eastern Anatolia, and the Caucasus found work on construction sites and in service industries across Montenegro. In a nation with a small, declining population, such demographic change was both economically significant and socially sensitive — generating unease among parts of the public.
After Zabjelo, the government moved swiftly: suspending visa-free entry for Turks, arresting 45 people, and pledging to crack down on illegal migration. At the same time, officials warned against xenophobia. Ankara took a close interest — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called his Montenegrin counterpart to seek assurances for the safety of Turkish citizens. In Podgorica, the Turkish flag was projected onto a central bridge in a symbolic show of solidarity.
Economically, the stakes are high. Turkey is Montenegro’s largest single foreign investor, responsible for roughly 20% of foreign direct investment. Turkish nationals own or hold stakes in about one-fifth of registered companies, and have spent over €220 million on local property since 2019. Direct flights between the two countries are frequent, and Turkish-language signs, shops, and schools are now common in the capital and coastal towns.
Yet political friction remains. Ankara has long expressed discomfort about Gulenists finding refuge in Montenegro, and occasional cases — such as the 2022 detention of businessman Binali Chamgoz — have stirred diplomatic tension. Meanwhile, views within Montenegro’s own Muslim communities are mixed: some welcome the new arrivals as revitalising local demographics, while others worry about increased competition in trades where Turkish businesses are most active.
With tens of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians also settling in the country in recent years, Montenegro’s ethnic and cultural landscape is shifting rapidly. For supporters, this diversity marks a step toward cosmopolitanism and investment-driven growth. For sceptics, it signals volatile changes that could undermine national cohesion. The Zabjelo incident has shown how quickly these undercurrents can erupt, setting the stage for serious challenges to Montenegro’s image as a peaceful, multicultural crossroads.
Photo: The source