The  Daily Record (Baltimore)

Sept. 15, 2008

by Barbara Grzincic

Mayor of Podgorica visits Annapolis to sign Friendship Agreement

Maryland is officially on friendly terms with Podgorica, Montenegro -- and we have a lawyer to thank for it.

Secretary of State John P. McDonough and other Maryland officials welcomed Dr. Miomir Mugosa, the mayor of Podgorica, to Annapolis last week, where they signed a Friendship Agreement on behalf of the Montenegrin capital city and the state.

It was the latest in a series of efforts spearheaded by Charles Dillon and his law firm. Dillon, founding director of the US-Montenegro Business Council (www.usmnebc.org), says the firm has spent considerable time developing relationships in Montenegro and that the country's position as the center of the Balkans makes it "one of the most interesting emerging-market opportunities for Maryland businesses."

"The signing ceremony is an important step in the relationship that has been developing between Montenegro and Maryland," Dillon wrote in an e-mail.

For example, in April the University of Baltimore School of Law hosted an event entitled "An Independent Montenegro Year Two: Moving Toward NATO and the EU." Miodrag Vlahovic, Montenegro's ambassador to the United States, was the featured speaker. A month later, Montenegro's minister of economy, Branimir Gvozdenovic, came to Maryland and met with several government officials.

In July, Dillon wrote, "The University of Baltimore School of Law delivered to the Embassy of Montenegro in Washington, D.C. a large shipment of legal textbooks for distribution to the two law schools in Montenegro and intends to further a dialog aimed at establishing a joint student/faculty exchange program."


For more information, or to set up an initial consultation, contact

Charles T. Dillon, Esq.
100 West Road, Suite 300
Towson, Maryland 21204
Tel: (410) 459-8644
Email: cdillon@dillonlegal.com 
Tax, Business, Estate Planning and International Legal Services