Milica Pejanović-Đurišić

File:Defense.gov photo essay 120907-D-NI589-026.jpg, Pentagon, 6 September 2012]]

File:Na uradnem obisku v Sloveniji ministrica za obrambo Črne gore dr. Milica Pejanović-Đurišić 06.jpg in 2015]]

Pejanović-Đurišić was active in the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, where Momir Bulatović chose her as a board member on the organizational committee which replaced the older communists during the anti-bureaucratic revolution in Montenegro in January 1989.{{cite web|url=http://www.monitor.co.me/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3342:mica-ratnica&catid=2268:broj-1117&Itemid=6424|first=Vladimir|last=Jovanović|work=Monitor|title=Mica ratnica|language=Serbian|date=March 16, 2012|accessdate=February 20, 2019}} When Yugoslavia began to break up, she supported Montenegro remaining in Yugoslavia in 1992.

In 1997, when the Democratic Party of Socialists began to split between Đukanović and Bulatović, she initially was closer to Bulatović. However, she abruptly cut herself off from Bulatović after one of the DPS committee meetings, after which she was chosen to be the new president by the DPS. In addition to consolidating power with Đukanović, her split from Bulatović resulted in an explosive feud, as Bulatović called her "Mata Hari in a nightgown", and accused her of "selling her soul" for "shares in Crnogorski Telekom".{{sfn|Ivanović|2005|p=136}} Pejanović-Đurišić responded to the accusations with a statement saying that "Bulatović is a given contradiction, he's Robin Hood and Pol Pot, Šćepan Mali and Vojislav Šešelj, and in fact their miserable surrogate...his political end will be sad."{{sfn|Ivanović|2005|p=136}}

Pejanović-Đurišić became the president of the board of Crnogorski Telekom while retaining her position in DPS. Opposition parties accused her of using an illegal loophole for privatizing Telekom, although a court case ruled that she did not break the law. She participated in the formulation of the 2001 tender for Telekom, the state's first attempt of privatizing the telecommunications operator.

She advocated for a "phased" privatization of Telekom, arguing that a privatization in phases would guarantee the state would have a certain amount of company shares "in any variant".

From February 2004 to July 2006, she served as the Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro to Belgium and Luxembourg.{{Cite web |title=New Permanent Representative of Montenegro Presents Credentials {{!}} Meetings Coverage and Press Releases |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/bio5089.doc.htm |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=www.un.org}} After Montenegro's independence in 2006, she served as Montenegro's ambassador to France, Monaco (Pejanović-Đurišić being fluent in French) and UNESCO from February 2007 to 2010.{{Cite web |date=2019-03-11 |title=Milica Pejanović-Đurišić |url=https://ascg.me/en/milica-pejanovic-durisic/ |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=ASCG |language=en-US}}

In 2012, Pejanovic-Djurisic was appointed as Minister of Defence in the Milo Đukanović's VI Cabinet of Montenegro, as a member and vice-president of the Đukanović's DPS. She was first female office holder of Minister of Defence of Montenegro. She was in office until October 2016, when she was replaced by Predrag Boskovic, also an DPS member.{{Cite web |title=Defence Minister Pejanović Đurišić: Montenegro committed to |url=http://www.gov.me/en/article/160395--montenegro-committed-to-achieving-full |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=Government of Montenegro |language=en}}

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• {{cite book |last=Ivanović |first=Željko |title=Crnogorski Diznilend|publisher=Daily Press - Vijesti|location=Podgorica|year=2005|isbn=86-7706-123-1}}
• {{cite book |last=Morrison |first=Kenneth |title=Nationalism, Identity and Statehood in Post-Yugoslav Montenegro|publisher=I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd |location=London |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-84511-710-8}}

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• [http://www.danas.rs/danasrs/dijalog/milica_pejanovic_djurisic.46.html?news_id=235950 Article in Serbian at Danas.rs]
• [http://www.mod.gov.me/en/ministry Montenegrin Ministry of Defence]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120911013724/http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Politika/311891/Milica-PejanovicDjurisic-nova-ministarka-odbrane-Crne-Gore Report in Blic]

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Category:Living people

Category:1959 births

Category:Defence ministers of Montenegro

Category:Female defence ministers

Category:Politicians from Nikšić

Category:Montenegrin women in politics

Category:Ambassadors of Montenegro to France

Category:Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro politicians

Category:Diplomats from Nikšić

Category:Permanent representatives of Montenegro to the United Nations

Category:Women government ministers of Montenegro