President of the state Milo Djukanovic he asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in mid-January to organize high-level meetings for him with representatives of the United States of America, but he was not satisfied with the option offered to meet with the special adviser of the State Department Derek Scholey, "Vijesti" learned from several sources.
Đukanović did not travel to Washington for the prayer breakfast, although his cabinet publicly announced in mid-December last year that he was invited together with his wife Lidija.
His cabinet explains that he decided to stay in Montenegro because his priority was solving problems of national interest, such as unblocking the Constitutional Court.
"In the conditions of a deep institutional and constitutional crisis in the country, the President of Montenegro prioritized issues of exceptional national interest, such as the election of judges of the Constitutional Court and the return of its functionality, to which he is fully committed at the moment," states the answer from Đukanović. of the cabinet when asked by "Vijesti" why the President of Montenegro did not go to Washington for the Prayer Breakfast.
According to "Vijesti" information, Đukanović requested a meeting with the US president a few weeks ago Joseph Biden or his associates, the vice president Kamal Harris and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
When asked if it was true that the president requested meetings with American officials at the highest level, but that his requests were not granted, the answer from his cabinet says that this is not true.
"The President's Cabinet is in communication with the American administration in order to define a mutually acceptable term, independent of the prayer breakfast," it is stated.
An interlocutor of "Vijesti" who was part of diplomatic circles explained that it is an unwritten rule that during this period, which brings a huge number of foreign officials to Washington, the American administration avoids any scheduling of meetings at the highest level in the USA because there is a lot of pressure. Since, as the source explained, it is impossible to please everyone, the administration avoids exceptions.
The interlocutor said that the speed of scheduling meetings with the highest officials is organized depending on whether there is a crisis, and thus whether they are a priority. The dynamics also depend on the interests of the other party, in this case the USA. This work takes several days and sometimes even a week, there is no rule, "Vijesti" explained.
The prayer breakfast at which the current president of the USA addresses the participants, as reported by the agencies, has been the highlight of the event that lasts several days for 70 years.
Six political representatives from Montenegro were invited to the Prayer Breakfast. The Mina Agency announced that they are the President of the State Milo Đukanović, the Minister of Finance Aleksandar Damjanović, members of the Democratic Party of Socialists Andrija Nikolić i Branimir Gvozdenović, deputy of the Social Democrats Damir Sehovic, as well as the president of the Albanian Alternative Nik Đeljošaj.
Bonus video:
