Serbian Ambassador Vladimir Božović, who was expelled from Montenegro, should not have expressed views that could be sensitive to the internal consensus of the host country, assessed Montenegrin Minister of Foreign Affairs Đorđe Radulović.
In an interview with the Belgrade-based Politika, he said that the new Government of Montenegro is extending a hand of reconciliation to Serbia, stating that the previous government hastened to further tighten relations with Belgrade, just before the new government took office.
Radulović, as reported by Tanjug, said that the government "which held the chair for 30 years, destroyed the remaining ties" and eventually expelled Božović.
However, Radulović said, Božović knew that he was moving "through a minefield" with his statements about the Podgorica Assembly, where in 1918 it was decided on the annexation of Montenegro to Serbia, which was canceled by the previous government.
According to Radulović, expelling ambassadors is the last measure that should be avoided, and it is definitely not suitable for countries that want to build good neighborly relations.
"Just as I might have acted differently if I had been a minister at the time, so also if I had been in the position of Ambassador Božović, I would not have come out with positions that could be sensitive to the internal consensus of the host country," said Radulović.
As he stated, it is necessary to strengthen good-neighborly cooperation based on the principle of sovereignty, independence and non-interference in internal affairs.
"In this sense, we should also recognize Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić's invitation to Prime Minister Ana Brnabić to visit Montenegro in January, as well as my phone call to Minister Nikola Selaković in the second week of my mandate with the intention of extending my hand and starting from the beginning," Radulović said. .
He added that he would be very happy to respond to the invitation to come to Belgrade, as soon as the conditions are met.
Speaking about the dual citizenship of citizens of Serbia who have Montenegrin origins, Radulović said that, if it is mutually determined that there is an interest in continuing negotiations on this issue, further steps in that direction will be considered.
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