President Milanović after Meeting with President Đukanović: Croatia supports a modern, civic and open Montenegro

At the invitation of the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović, the President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović is on a reciprocal official visit to the Republic of Croatia, which began on Thursday, 16 September with a welcoming ceremony at the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia. After a tête-à-tête of the two presidents and bilateral talks between the official delegations of the Republic of Croatia and Montenegro, the two presidents held a press conference.

In a statement to the press, President Milanović pointed out that his invitation to the Montenegrin President to pay an official visit came after the strange and unfortunate events in Cetinje and Montenegro in recent days. “A reciprocal visit would have happened anyway, however, the latest developments in Montenegro have accelerated it. The reason for my invitation and his response – and I believe that I am speaking on behalf of the entire Croatian Government – is my wish to support a modern, civic, open Montenegro, as we have known it for many years,” said President Milanović.

Commenting on the relations between Croatia and Montenegro, President Milanović said these relations were not always clear and linear. They were not without oscillations and without some uncertainties, but most of that has been settled. He recalled an event that took place in 1997 when protesters from the then Socialist People’s Party, which was under the influence of Belgrade, were stopped by Montenegrin police – which was then politically coordinated and run by Mr. Đukanović and the Government of Montenegro – as they approached Tuza, a community east of Podgorica inhabited exclusively by Catholic Albanians.

“Since then, Montenegro has been different, with its problems, but also its successes, the renewal of statehood, which of course some view as a catastrophe. These problems arise from that. Montenegro – a candidate for membership in the European Union and a country that has come a long way in the negotiations, which, with the support of Croatia and the Croatian Government, opened its last chapter and now the question is what comes next,” said President Milanović.

President Milanović questioned whether to “wait for those who have just started, and I am referring to North Macedonia and Albania, who in fact deserved to start negotiations a long time ago, but did not. But as they have practically just officially opened, the process will last, while Montenegro is on the doorstep. And for Serbia, which is also negotiating, I am not sure if it has a very clear and honest goal of joining the European Union,” said President Milanović, adding that the question is whether the entire Western Balkans should be treated as one or whether countries should receive preferential treatment. In that sense, he pointed out that at yesterday’s Arraiolos Group meeting of the EU Heads of State he noticed that the EU presidents did not differentiate between countries or were not aware that differences existed, and that they always referred to the Western Balkan region collectively.

“Montenegro, especially because it is a NATO member, as are Albania and North Macedonia, deserves to have preferential treatment. Otherwise the very notion of talks makes no sense. Of course that negotiations and politics of conditionality make more sense because it is evident that some states are not ready and do not wish to be ready, or have no intention to”, President Milanović stated.

In concluding President Milanović said that in the future his task will also be to turn the attention of his high and highest-level interlocutors in the West to matters they do not know much about or are not interested in. “They see the influence of foreign powers on their borders, but do not see it in Montenegro. It is not that they are pretending not to see it. That is my task, and in that spirit and with that intention my guest is here today with his associates”, President Milanović stated.

In his statement the President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović thanked President Milanović for inviting him and the good timing to pay the Official visit. “We consider Croatia a good neighbour, friend, NATO partner and a country that supported us in realizing our European and Euro-Atlantic ambitions, and supports us further”, the Montenegrin President said, adding that the discussions focused on issues of European and Euro-Atlantic prospects of Montenegro and the Western Balkans.

He added that he is disturbed by the lack of attention of some of the most important European political institutions because he feels that in the Western Balkans, as in no other area, there can be no vacuum. “Where there is a lack of attention and initiative of those who must give priority to that initiative, because it is a European region, the interests of others take over. In this case, it is the geopolitical interests of countries whose values are opposite to the European platform”, President Đukanović stated.

Furthermore, Montenegrin President Đukanović said that in their discussions they addressed issues dealing with bilateral cooperation, which he qualified as being of very good. He thanked Croatia for the various means of support, political, expert and material, and that he sees a lot of potential for promoting cooperation, especially in the economic sector.

During the meeting President Đukanović acquainted President Milanović with the current political and social events and happenings in Montenegro. “Montenegro is going through a very specific, out of the ordinary one-year experience after last year’s change of government. Precisely it is the lack of attention of the European political institutions for our region and the disturbances in geopolitical relations that have caused confusion in our region. For this reason, the advocates of backward political concepts have realized that it is time to try to renew their goals they failed to achieve in the wars from the 1990s. Montenegro has demonstrated determination in protecting its attainments, to unwaveringly remain a civic state on its path to adopting the European value system”, the President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović stated.

PHOTO : Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić, Filip Glas, Marko Beljan