MFA: One gets the impression that Đukanović is consciously making it difficult to select candidates for representatives of Montenegro

Looking at the whole picture, one gets the impression that the President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović is consciously making it difficult to select candidates for representatives of Montenegro who do not actually represent political appointments and who are very successful in their professions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MVP) announced today.

They reacted to the statement of Đukanović's advisor for foreign policy, Tamara Brajović, in which it is claimed that "Milo Đukanović's Cabinet informed the authorities in certain countries, as well as their embassies and representative offices, that there is no agreement on the proposal of candidates who would represent Montenegro in them, that is, that they do not have his consent".

"The most important thing is that the procedures were absolutely followed during this procedure, and then that the public was misinformed through the above-mentioned announcement in the part that implies the listing of candidacies that were not even considered at the Government session. In the part that concerns the procedure, the Constitution, that is, the Law on Foreign affairs, it is prescribed that the Government nominates ambassadors and heads of other diplomatic missions of our country abroad. In Article 40 of the aforementioned Law, on the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Government establishes a proposal for the appointment of ambassadors. Consequently, after receiving the agreement of the receiving state and the opinion of the competent Assembly Committee for international relations, the President appoints an ambassador by decree and gives the ambassador a letter of credence," the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed by Đorđe Radulović states.

From that department, they added that the Government of Montenegro has been given constitutional and legal authority to propose diplomatic representatives in order to more authentically represent and implement its policies abroad, while, as they add, the president's constitutional authority, in this part, is to pass a decree on the appointment of ambassadors , as well as the granting of a letter of credit, which comes only at the end of the entire process, which formally finalizes the appointment process.

"Given the importance of the topic, the appointment of the ambassador has been agreed upon so-called foreign policy consultations of the President of Montenegro, the President of the Assembly, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This format does not have a formal legal basis, we believe that it is a good and useful practice and we believe that in the conditions of cohabitation of the ruling structures in Montenegro, it should be continued, with the correct actions of all parties. Precisely in order to protect the international reputation of Montenegro, as well as in the interests of the citizens, the Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Policy Abazović and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radulović, have so far always initiated these consultations, while on the other hand, no desire to cooperate was expressed. However, in a situation where all the procedures prescribed by the relevant laws have been fully complied with, he states that the Ministry "knowingly cheats the procedures at the national level, violates good practice, violates cohabitation and undermines the international reputation of the country", are not in accordance with the practice of good inter-institutional communication. The claims made are incorrect because they are not based on facts," the statement reads.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that, as stated in her statement, Brajović informed the competent authorities in certain countries "that there is no agreement of the authorities participating in cohabitation in Montenegro on the proposal of candidates who would represent Montenegro in them and that each candidate on who were informed either through the media or formally does not enjoy the consent of the President of Montenegro".

"We wonder how the president's adviser was able to inform the competent authorities of those countries about appointments that were not even considered by the government, so they are not in the formal legal procedure? Can it be concluded that this is an attempt to obstruct the work of the government, within the scope of its competences, according to the constitutional and legislative arrangements, they belong exclusively? Looking at the whole picture, one gets the impression that the president is consciously making it difficult to select candidates who do not actually represent political appointments and who are very successful in their professions. an indicator of political immaturity that can most of all call into question our international reputation, especially in the part of communication through the media, where the public is misinformed," the announcement states.

The MFA also said that "in the future, they will continue to implement the Government's policy in the best possible way, trying to ensure that no person is discriminated against on the basis of political beliefs, national or religious affiliation, and it is understood that a diplomatic representative must represent his country in accordance with established foreign policy priorities and represent its interests in the best way".

"Finally, we claim that the Government undertakes all efforts to, in accordance with the current political situation, in conditions of cohabitation, contribute to mechanisms that include political dialogue, especially on sensitive issues such as the selection of the highest representatives of our country abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains available for any type of correct and professional communication, which has been proven many times so far, respecting every criticism that is constructive and that contributes to the improvement of dialogue in the conditions of cohabitation, believing that it is proof of the democratic capacities of all involved parties," the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concludes.