From November 27 to 29, Podgorica hosted Montelibero.Zajedno 2025, an engaging and well-run gathering that brought together libertarians, digital nomads, and freedom-oriented communities from several countries. The event took place at the Kings Park Hotel in the heart of the city, with a wrap-up party at the Montelibero community hub MTL-City near Bar.
Although the audience was mostly Russian and Montenegrin members of the Montelibero community, the atmosphere was genuinely international. People came from Norway, Canada, the United States, Australia, Moldova, Serbia and other places to share ideas about building freer, more resilient communities.
Panel discussion at Montelibero 2025
Creating Real Alternatives: Lessons From Montelibero.Zajedno 2025
The program included several talks on practical freedom, new economic zones, digital sovereignty, and the challenges of building intentional communities in the modern world.
Liberland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thomas D. Walls, gave a presentation on the current state of Liberland, outlining ongoing diplomatic work and describing new opportunities for cooperation. He later joined a panel discussion on how liberty-oriented communities can make a real impact rather than remaining theoretical.
Other speakers included:
- Sondre Bjellas, presenting the experience of Liberstad in Norway and the lessons learned from trying to build a free city on private land.
- Valery Utrosin and several Montelibero founders, who spoke about the rapid growth of their community in Montenegro and the challenges that come with it.
- Risto Backović, a highly trained researcher and author in finance, monetary policy and economics, gave an extremely informative presentation on cryptocurrencies
- Entrepreneurs, developers, and thinkers such as Timur Artemev, Egor Yakovlev, Vladimir Shmelev and others covered topics such as investing in free communities, setting up digital infrastructure, and navigating life as a voluntary migrant in a changing political environment.
Throughout the event, participants repeatedly returned to the same question: how can small, value-driven communities influence the larger world without losing their principles?
Attendees visit a local Georgian restaurant in Podgorica
Shared Challenges, Shared Solutions
One topic that came up often was the tightening of residency rules for Russians and other foreigners living in Montenegro. This shift is driven largely by European Union policy and affects people who have chosen Montenegro for peaceful reasons. Many of them openly oppose the actions of the Russian government, yet they still face new administrative hurdles simply because of their nationality.
In private conversations, Walls encouraged anyone facing eventual residence difficulties to consider relocating to Serbia and joining the Liberland community there. Serbia remains more welcoming to independent thinkers and does not impose the same blanket restrictions. Many participants are considering a concrete plan B and this presents a workable and beneficial option.
This is exactly where cooperation among free communities becomes essential. No single project has all the answers, but together they form a network that gives people flexibility and real alternatives. Liberland, Montelibero, Liberstad, the Free State Project, and Prospera all explore different models, yet they share a belief in voluntary action, personal responsibility, and peaceful coexistence. When one community faces pressure, another can offer space, support, and expertise.
Shashlik Barbeque at MTL-City near Bar, Montenegro
Communities Can Collaborate
A particularly promising conversation took place between Minister Walls and Glenn Cripe from the Language of Liberty Institute. They discussed the possibility of organizing a week-long Liberty Camp at Ark Liberland Village. These educational programs, which the Institute has hosted in many countries, bring young people together to learn about entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and classical liberal ideas. Hosting a camp at Ark Liberland would help strengthen the next generation of freedom-oriented leaders.
The beautiful Kings Park Hotel in downtown Podgorica
A Growing Free Community Network
Montelibero.Zajedno was more than a conference. It was a reminder that liberty-oriented communities are not isolated experiments. They form a growing global ecosystem. Each project explores a different path, but all of them learn from one another, exchange knowledge, and offer support when conditions change.
For Liberland in particular, gatherings like this create valuable diplomatic and cultural bridges. Many attendees are already Liberland e-residents or citizens, and others are considering becoming part of the community. These interactions help build understanding and trust, and they show that Liberland is part of a much wider movement of people who want to create a more peaceful and voluntary world.
Montelibero.Zajedno 2025 showed that freedom communities do not need to wait for permission to cooperate, innovate, or support one another. They can simply start by building real relationships, exchanging ideas, and creating practical solutions together.