The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) will make a decision on the presidential candidate in two months at the latest, announced the leader of that party, Milo Đukanović.
"Personally, I am very relaxed about that and every other candidacy. I was president of the state and prime minister for seven terms. I know the experience I have can't hurt. At least, let's not repeat the mistakes that were made in the first stages of dealing with state affairs, which were precisely the result of inexperience and misunderstanding of the broader political and security picture," said Đukanović for the official issue of Blic.
He said that he also knows that the greatest skill in any job is to give new and young people the right chance at the right time.
"I have to remember that, fresher than others, because I got my chance at the age of 29. As I said, the DPS will announce its attitude towards the presidential elections in two months at the latest," said Đukanović.
He added that he hopes that the break from state affairs will last.
"I hope this break will last. The development and integration processes in Montenegro, which we generated by the restoration of independence, took off. My choice is to help them with valuable experience from the position of party president. But we will soon see what the decision of the DPS will look like," said Đukanović.
Asked if he is aware that a good part of DPS voters and the public expect him to run in the presidential elections, Đukanović said that it was an initial thought.
"It is not surprising, I believe, such initial thinking and expectation of the party I lead. However, it is our experience to think about all aspects of a topic more deeply and carefully before making a decision. That's why we made fewer mistakes and successfully kept the citizens' trust for a long time," said Đukanović.
Answering the question, he said that the greatest success of his policy was the preservation of peace and multi-ethnic harmony.
"If someone from the outside were to analyze the time I was involved in politics, I believe they would conclude that the two greatest successes are the restoration of Montenegro's independence and the entry into NATO. I think there is something more valuable than that. The greatest success of contemporary Montenegro, and therefore mine as well one of the people who defined and led state policy, is that we managed to preserve the peace and the ethnic character of our society," said Đukanović.
Speaking about relations with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Đukanović reminded that since the Serbian Progressive Party and Vučić have a dominant political role in that country, relations between Montenegro and Serbia have improved.
"In that period, Serbia was predominantly focused on itself, its economic, institutional and democratic development, dialogue with Pristina, cooperation in the region and European integration. I think that was right and that we should persevere on that course. Only in this way will it be possible to restore trust and improving stability in the Western Balkans, which is our common interest," said Đukanović
He added that he has a very good relationship with Vučić on a personal level.
"We often exchange opinions on certain issues openly and with respect, which I believe benefits the more successful performance of our work and the development of relations between Montenegro and Serbia," Đukanović concluded.
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