Although he asked for the opinion of the Committee for International Relations and Expatriates on the recall of extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassadors on a resident basis, the President of the Republic Milo Đukanović will not attend the session of that parliamentary body where the discussion will be held on this very topic.
Nataša Pešić, advisor for cooperation with state bodies, announced yesterday that the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly stipulate that representatives of the Government, representatives of scientific and professional institutions, other legal entities and non-governmental organizations, as well as individual professional and scientific workers, may participate in the work of the committee, upon invitation, without decision rights.
"The President acts in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and will not attend the Board session," said Pešić.
The session will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazović and Minister of Foreign Affairs Đorđe Radulović, who were also invited by Committee President Miodrag Lekić.
He convened the discussion after Đukanović refused to sign decrees on the recall of extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassadors on a resident basis and requested that the Committee submit an opinion on this matter.
Before the statement of the Committee he leads, Lekić asks for an explanation of what kind of agreement was reached on January 26, when Đukanović, Radulović and Abazović met on the occasion of the ambassador's recall.
The meeting in January was initiated by Radulović, after Đukanović refused to sign the recall of seven ambassadors because, as he stated, "that proposal was submitted to him without a valid explanation."
Minister of Foreign Affairs Đorđe Radulović proposed the recall of seven ambassadors, which the Government accepted in mid-December 2020.
Ambassadors from China Darko Pajović, Vatican Miodrag Vlahović, Bosnia and Herzegovina Obrad Stanišić, Italy Sanja Vlahović, Germany Vera Kuliš, Serbia Tarzan Milošević and United Arab Emirates Dušanka Jeknić were recalled. The Ministry replied to the "News" that three recalled ambassadors - Dušanka Jeknić, Obrad Mišo Stanišić and Tarzan Milošević - returned to Montenegro by the deadline given to them - February 15. They had instructions to come to the ambassador's consultation.
They pointed out that ambassadors Vera Kuliš, Sanja Vlahović, Miodrag Vlahović and Darko Pajović did not respond to the invitation of the Ministry.
The government has demanded that the recalled ambassadors finish all their duties in the host countries by mid-February. That instruction was sent on December 18 last year and the ambassadors were ordered to hand over their duties, and that the recall would formally come into force with the signature of the president.
"In this regard, of the ambassadors who did not come for consultations, ambassadors Kuliš and Vlahović handed over their duties and completed all the necessary procedures," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
The Ministry announced that temporary chargé d'affaires have been appointed in all diplomatic and consular missions where the ambassadors have been recalled, who will manage the work of the embassies until new ambassadors are appointed:
"The Ministry, in accordance with international regulations and diplomatic practice, informed the receiving countries about the said decision".
"News" confirmed in the MFA that the impeached Montenegrin ambassador to the Vatican, Miodrag Vlahović, replaced the lock on the embassy door, while the impeached ambassador to China, Darko Pajović, still has not returned the stamp and payment card.
The Ministry announced that Pajović did not act in accordance with the instruction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which ordered him to hand over his duties by February 15, nor did he inform the Ministry about it, but kept the embassy keys, seal and official vehicle in his possession. Pajović previously told the media that "two diplomats working at the embassy in China searched the offices looking for an official stamp and documents."
"None of the diplomats at the Embassy of Montenegro in the Republic of China... has searched the premises or his private belongings, unless the ambassador considers that the seal of the embassy, the keys to the premises of the diplomatic-consular representation and the official vehicle are his personal property".
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that when it was checked and noticed that there was no stamp in the embassy, the temporary charge d'affaires informed the Ministry about it and once again asked the ambassador to act in accordance with the instructions.
"This kind of behavior of Ambassador Pajović, who refuses to return to Montenegro, is just... trying to further compromise the state and its diplomatic service," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
In response, Pajović announced yesterday that "all official documents, keys, seals and bank cards, which have never been used, are in the embassy's premises".
The interlocutor of "Vijesti" explained that in such cases the chargé d'affaires take over the tasks at the embassy, while the ambassadors who refused to obey the MFA are held accountable.
Chargé d'affaires in such cases can change the locks, while ambassadors after the first of March in the countries where they held office can only be civilians.
On February 16, the Ministry denied all recalled ambassadors access to embassies and suspended their funding.
Recalled ambassadors can use the apartments until the notice period, and they are not allowed to continue using any funds at the disposal of the MFA, such as official cars.
Advisor to the President of Montenegro for foreign policy, Tamara Brajović, recently announced that any misunderstanding or ambiguity regarding the instruction is resolved between the ambassador and the Ministry, away from the public, stating that preserving the reputation of Montenegro and the dignity of the diplomatic profession is a common interest.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
