MFA: Vlahović refuses to accept the fact that he is no longer an ambassador

The recalled Ambassador of Montenegro to the Vatican, Miodrag Vlahović, "by his continuous actions, refuses to accept the fact that he is no longer the ambassador of Montenegro to the Holy See and the Sovereign Knights of Malta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

They also state that Vlahović thereby ignores the decisions of the Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the announcement of the President's Cabinet, as well as the opinion of the Committee for International Relations and Emigrants.

"Due to all of the above, the temporary chargé d'affaires was forced to turn to the diplomatic protocol of the Holy See for assistance, in order to enable him to perform the duties of the head of this diplomatic-consular representation," the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states.

Last Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed Gojko Čelebić as charge d'affaires in the Vatican.

Vlahović announced today that "the idyll with Gojko Čelebić, the future chargé d'affaires, was short-lived, and that he was kindly escorted out of the Embassy in the Vatican".

"In accordance with the Government's decision, the procedure for recalling Ambassador Miodrag Vlahović was initiated on December 18 last year, after which the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs reached an agreement with the President on January 26, 2021. Last week, the Parliamentary Committee for international relations and emigrants gave a positive opinion on the government's proposal to recall eight ambassadors, including Vlahović. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, instructed the temporary chargé d'affaires Gojko Čelebić to take over duties in the Vatican until the arrival of the new Montenegrin ambassador to the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Knights of Malta. For the sake of truthfully informing the public, we note that the procedure was not violated by sending a verbal note to the receiving country that Ambassador Vlahović had completed his mandate in that country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the past 15 years, since the restoration of Montenegro's independence, has always and in accordance with diplomatic practice, first informed the receiving country about the end of the ambassador's mandate, after which the president of the country, upon the ambassador's return to the country, signed the decree of recall," the MFA responded.