The Serbian National Council (SNS) submitted to the Parliament of Montenegro an initiative to annul the Government's decision on the recognition of the independent state of Kosovo, that is, to call for a national referendum on the issue.
SNS President Momčilo Vuksanović said that the initiative was addressed individually to all members of the Parliament.
"Deputies are required to declare in writing about the SNS initiative within 30 days, that is, by June 1 at the latest. If the MPs do not respond within the stipulated time, it will be considered that the initiative is unacceptable for them," Vuksanović said in a statement.
In the explanation of the initiative, it is stated, among other things, that, in accordance with the age-old state, national and religious connection between Montenegro and Serbia, SNS is launching the initiative, prompted, first of all, by the majority will of the citizens of Montenegro.
"Which is also confirmed by the unequivocal statement of the Prime Minister of Montenegro, in Kosovo, about Sretenje, this year, that the Government forced the recognition of the so-called independent state of Kosovo against the will of 85 percent of the population of Montenegro," the explanation adds.
It is stated that there is no better proof that this decision is illegitimate, without a foothold in the will of the population, violent and driven by completely individual and therefore non-state interests.
As stated by SNS, the historical basis for annulment of the decision lies in the deepest traditions of Montenegro.
"By denying this historical basis, the government indirectly annulled Montenegrin statehood, so by revoking the recognition of the so-called state of Kosovo, Montenegro would return to its original and true statehood, its brighter traditions and the will of its population," the explanation says.
It is stated that the political reasons for canceling the recognition of the independent state of Kosovo are multiple.
According to SNS, the recognition burdened Montenegro's relations with Serbia and made Montenegrin politics extremely hostile to Serbia, which, they said, had never been the case until now.
According to them, the fact that some countries in the world are withdrawing the recognition of the state of Kosovo obliges Montenegro to be a part of that initiative in accordance with such political commitment and the stated reasons.
"Montenegro's decision to revoke the recognition of the so-called state of Kosovo would be inconsistent from the point of view of the decisions of a number of member states of the European Union, which strongly and energetically oppose the international recognition of Kosovo's independence," the explanation says.
SNS announced that the same initiative will be forwarded to the newly elected President of Montenegro after his inauguration.
"In the coming time, the Council will collect a sufficient number of signatures from the citizens of Montenegro in order to create more conditions for holding a state referendum on the issue of canceling the Government's decision on the recognition of Kosovo," the announcement states.
SNS believes that holding a referendum on this "extremely controversial issue would undoubtedly be a democratic step forward for Montenegro and an indicator of the true attitude of the majority of citizens".
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