The extension of Montenegro's sanctions against Russia, which was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Đorđe Radulović, was criticized to a greater or lesser extent by politicians from both the government and the opposition.
Part of the opposition, which warned the public that the arrival of the new government could lead to a change in the foreign policy of Montenegro, considers that such moves are unprincipled because allegedly one policy is conducted within the state, and the other outside it. Thus, the SDP considers the Government's current foreign policy course to be insincere.
However, some members of the government do not fully agree with the policy implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Formally, legally and technically, we can immediately lift the sanctions against Russia. But if we want to join the EU, we must respect its rules. We signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement, which stipulates that we harmonize our legal system with the EU. Chapter 31 refers to foreign policy and implies that we should comply with all foreign policy decisions made by the EU," said Radulović in an interview with "Vijesta" on Monday.
MP and leader of Prava Montenegro Marko Milaćić said that the sanctions against Russia should be lifted because, as he says, they are causing the most damage to Montenegro.
"The historical significance of the relationship between Montenegro and Russia is deeply rooted in the being of our people, the sentiment towards Russia is strong, and such measures, which undoubtedly miss the mark, do not diminish the divisions in Montenegro. Finally, if all the indicators are on the side of lifting sanctions, and only loyalty to EU decisions is the reason why they continue to exist, such an approach is bad for the position and reputation of the EU in Montenegrin society," Milačić said in a statement.
So far, he has clearly expressed his support for all the positions of the new Government.
DF MP and DNP leader Milan Knežević criticized Radulović's views, calling him a DPS voter and alluding to the fact that his time is running out.
"Random" Minister Radulović, who on 30.8. DPS voted, recognized Kosovo for the third time, extended sanctions against Russia, and explained that this is in the interests of Serbia and Russia... Did we vote for this? Tick-tock, tick-tock," Knežević said on Twitter.
Demos leader, MP and former diplomat Miodrag Lekić is in favor of some kind of balance and caution towards relations with Russia. Although he supports the primacy of European integration, Lekić believes that such a state direction does not mean that EU member states and candidates should see Brussels as some kind of new Comintern.
Lekić told "Vijesta" that the sanctions against Russia should be viewed legitimately on two levels, respecting the adopted EU policy but also considering, even if in nuances, specific bilateral relations, interests and cultural traditions.
"Germany did not betray the interests of the EU due to the fact that one of the largest investments in Europe and in the world, the Russian-German construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, continued unhindered during the period of EU sanctions against Russia. Now that investment is in its final phase. And Great Britain did not give up one investment in Siberia in the same period. This also applies to Italy and Turkey," Lekić said.
He believes that it is good that Montenegro accepted the policy of the European Union towards Russia, but it is not good that it did not use the space to express its specificity towards that country, which is reflected in its cultural, historical and economic-pragmatic character.
"The previous Montenegrin government was at the forefront of anti-Russian policy, even becoming a hysterical point of attack against Russia with its propaganda. With some short-sighted, rather provincial calculations that it will appeal to some of the international centers. The continuation of the calculation was that due to aggressive anti-Russian policy, these centers will turn a blind eye to corruption and crime as the main disease of the local regime, which the same centers called hybrid," Lekić said.
The General Secretary of the SDP, Ivan Vujović, assessed that the government "whose majority owner is the SPC is disingenuously wrapping itself in the EU and NATO flag."
"At home, they burn the NATO flag in order to deceive their voters, and in Brussels they kiss it, as the prime minister shows his affection for those who put him in that position. The government is the only thing they currently believe in, and everyone else should get used to the fact that there is no essential faith in such believers. We believe in the proclaimed pro-Western orientation of the new government just as we believed in the DPS's proclaimed struggle for the rule of law and the fight against corruption," Vujović told Vijest.
He adds that for now it is obvious that the Government is deceiving its voters, while declaratively fulfilling the expectations of international partners.
"Deeply anti-Western and clerical internal policy and formal continuation of pro-Western foreign policy orientation cannot go together for long, and it is necessary to be careful with the bearers of such policy," Vujović said.
DPS and SD did not respond to calls from "Vijesti.
Lekić believes that the policy of the EU should be respected, but that this does not mean that one should express insufficiently thought-out foreign political positions without considering the specifics of the bilateral relations of these two countries.
"The same is true for relations with Turkey, towards which the EU has had critical and crisis phases in the past moment. It's good that at least we didn't recklessly jump in there, thereby demonstrating some loyalty to the European Union. Montenegro has historical relations with Russia and Turkey, from cultural to pragmatic-interest relations, and this should never be lost sight of in foreign policy relations. A special problem remains when Russian-Montenegro relations will be normalized, that is, from the Russian side, bearing in mind that Montenegro has turned into one of the main aggressive propaganda points of anti-Russian politics. It's as if, God forbid, Russia annexed a part of Montenegro instead of Crimea, which by the way was visited by some European politicians and statesmen in the past period," Lekić said.
He also sees foreign policy as the art of the possible, which requires, "instead of rashness, thoughtlessness, and the interests of the ruling elite, a serious consideration of all issues, and thus a rational representation of the interests of one's country."
Lekić also recalled the statement from 2014 by the former head of the EU delegation in Montenegro, Mitje Drobnič, who then said that Montenegro did not have to join the sanctions against Russia, stating that in that case the country would not suffer any consequences. On that occasion, Drobnič also said that it is somehow understood that, when negotiating full membership, views on world issues are unified.
Following EU policy, Montenegro, along with several other candidate members, introduced sanctions against Russia in 2014 due to its role in the war in Ukraine, and has been continuously implementing them since then.
Marović: The lifting of sanctions means a turn in foreign policy
The executive director of the Politikon network, Jovana Marović, sees the minister's position as expected and in accordance with the agreed principles incorporated in the agreement of the new parliamentary majority.
She told "Vijesta" that the continuation of the same policy towards Russia is something that is expected from Montenegro, because any deviation would start controversies and be interpreted as a turn in foreign policy.
"One of the main fears after the talks on the formation of the new government began was whether Montenegro would remain on the same foreign policy course, and the policy towards Russia was cited as one of the examples, taking into account the different positions of the new government on this issue . It is true that some countries in the region did not join the sanctions against Russia, but due to the current political situation, the fear of strengthening the political influence of non-Western actors in these regions, as well as efforts to speed up the path to the EU, (this is something that Montenegro cannot follow) Marovic said.
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