Montenegrin President Milo Đukanović said that a year after the work of the new government, certain values that Montenegro achieved in the past period are systematically collapsing, and, he says, the path to integration into the European Union has been completely stopped. He pointed out that Montenegro does not have a government that protects the national interests of Montenegro, and that the opposition must make sure that we get it.
Đukanović said at the press conference in Zagreb after the meeting with Croatian President Zoran Milanović that it is good that people understood that every change that happens is not a change for the better, RTCG reports.
"And whether consciousness is mature enough to change this reality, we will see. I believe that it would be beneficial to bring about change, to save Montenegro on the track of EU integration and to stop its deterioration in time. It will depend on the mood of the citizens of our country, and time is our ally and that's why I don't regret this year either", stated Đukanović.
He does not regret, as he said, this year since the change of government, which had to happen at some point.
"International support comes as a matter of upgrading. Montenegro had and has support for its civil and secular identity, and that is exactly what is being attacked. It was attacked by the government's servility towards the centers of big-state nationalism in Belgrade. I think it takes time for this to become clearly evident to the domestic and international the public," Djukanovic said.
Đukanović says, it is not necessary to draw conclusions about who has support for what.
"I think it is crucially important that the awareness of the need to have a government that will protect the interests of Montenegro matures in Montenegro. At the moment we don't have that, Cetinje has shown that," said Đukanović.
Speaking about the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC), he said that it is a process that requires time and must be carefully managed.
"That process has a slower dynamic and must be in agreement with the authorities in the Orthodox world. I think we had one good effort to try to restore the CPC. It was not possible to come to an agreement. Now we will have to go through some other scenario," Đukanović explained. stating that these are not knee-jerk questions.
Đukanović also announced that it is obvious that we will have to work on overcoming divisions in Montenegro for a long time.
Answering the question whether he is thinking about retiring from the political scene, the president said that he has retired from politics three times so far.
"Often, the development of events diverts you from your privately chosen path. At this moment, I think that Montenegro is fighting a battle to preserve its independence, civil, secular and European character. I think that anyone who can help at this moment must be on the side of those interests. The moment it becomes clear to me, to me and to the people I work with, that we have the strength to manage the process even without my presence, I will not be happier than to deal with what I have long felt to be my private priority," concluded Đukanović. .
The Montenegrin president said that he introduced Milanović to the socio-political developments in Montenegro, which, as he explained, is going through a specific and unusual experience after the change of government in the elections on August 30.
"Today, the Western Balkans is once again under the illusion that it is time for the re-composition of the Western Balkans, that it is time for a recipe by which the region would live outside the world," said Đukanović, stating that they are focused on the European perspective of Montenegro.
"We perceive Croatia as a good neighbor, friend and partner in NATO. We do not believe in quality stability without a clear European and Euro-Atlantic perspective. That is why we are affected by the lack of attention from the highest European addresses," Đukanović said in Zagreb.
Today, he says, Russia is operating in the Western Balkans because of the war it is waging against the European value system.
"We will have support from our neighbors in awakening the sleeping attention in the relevant European addresses to help the Western Balkans not to slip off that path without an alternative," the Montenegrin president pointed out.
Speaking about President Đukanović, Milanović said that his Montenegrin colleague "is not an old timer" and that he is in full swing, and that the people of Montenegro will judge everything.
When asked by journalists if today's meeting sent a message to Belgrade and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Milanović replied that it certainly did.
"The reason for my call is my desire to support a modern, civil Montenegro, as we have known it in recent years, although those relations were not without certain questions. We have clarified most of that," said Milanović.
He also reminded that Montenegro is a candidate for EU membership.
"With the help of the Croatian government, it opened the last chapter and the question is what now? Wait for those who have just started, and I mean North Macedonia and Albania, which deserved to start negotiations a long time ago," Milanović said.
He stated that he has doubts about the real goals of Belgrade's policy when it comes to EU membership.
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