The outgoing government of Montenegro had arguments for expelling from the country the ambassador of Serbia in Podgorica, Vladimir Božović, but such a procedure at the time of the change of government is obviously aimed at undermining the work of the new government, Bodo Weber from the Berlin-based Council for Democratization Policy said.
Weber, an expert on the Balkans, told Glas Amerika that it is obvious that the actions of the outgoing government headed by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of Milo Đukanović have a history.
"It is about a bilateral conflict of conflicting views on the history of Montenegro and the question of independence, which is at the same time an internal conflict in Montenegro. Secondly, it is about a certain interference of official Serbia in internal politics in Montenegro, in the recent elections, as well as the attempt to prevent the formation of an expert government for the sake of the party, with the Democratic Front at the head, during the recent visit of President (of Serbia) Aleksandar Vučić to Montenegro," said Veber.
He stated that it is "a little reminiscent" of the actions of US President Donald Trump, "who seems to be trying his best to make the transition process difficult for his successor".
Weber said that he does not expect that the dispute between Serbia and Montenegro will have significant consequences for the relations between the two countries because the new Montenegrin Government will quickly cancel the decision to declare Ambassador Božović an undesirable person.
The Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the day before yesterday that it had declared Božović persona non grata, stating that he had for a long time and continuously interfered in the internal affairs of Montenegro and that he had made statements incompatible with the usual and acceptable standards of performing a diplomatic function. The day before yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, acting reciprocally, decided to declare Tarzan Milošević, the ambassador of Montenegro in Belgrade, as an undesirable person.
Last night, Serbia's top government decided to cancel that decision in the hope that, according to Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, it would be "interpreted as an act of goodwill."
Weber also said that relations between the Serbian and new Montenegrin authorities will appear more harmonious, but that "under the surface they will actually be ambivalent and complicated." "Relations between Vučić and Milo Đukanović's regime were much better than it was shown in public. They were brothers in autocratic rule, which both of them used, regularly inflaming the Serbian-Montenegrin dispute, both bilaterally and in Montenegro, for domestic political use," says Weber. He adds that with the victory of the ideologically diverse opposition coalition in Montenegro, relations with Serbia become complicated.
"To that should be added the decision to form an expert, not a party coalition, which committed itself to supporting the Euro-Atlantic course. The change of the autocratic, multi-decade rule in Vučić instills fear and nervousness, which could be further strengthened if Montenegro, at least partially, succeeds in realization of the program of structural and democratic reforms," said Weber.
He also stated that the new Montenegrin government will not have a different attitude towards stability in the Balkans and the ongoing processes. "I believe that we will not see significant changes. The coalition has committed itself to continuity, including the attitude towards the recognition of Kosovo's independence. In addition, it will have its hands full due to the lack of intra-coalition cohesion, the need for significant reform initiatives, economic challenges and the efforts of the Democratic Front for operational and ideological dominance in the government. There will not be much time left to deal with regional relations," said Weber for the Voice of America.
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