Milo Đukanović, the leader of the ruling coalition won the presidential elections in Montenegro, who during the campaign stood for the continuation of the country's Euro-Atlantic path, but at the same time expressed his willingness to build good relations with Russia, writes today's Moscow daily Komersant.
The paper writes that Đukanović was considered the main contender for victory from the very beginning, and that the only question was whether he would win in the first or second round, adding that he was the de facto leader of Montenegro for the last quarter of a century.
Đukanović's main thesis in the presidential campaign was that European Montenegro should win the presidential elections, because, otherwise, its independence and membership in NATO and the path to the EU will be subject to scrutiny, according to Komersant.
Dnevnik adds that at the very end of the campaign he sent an unequivocal signal to Moscow, expressing his readiness to normalize Russian-Montenegro relations, which became seriously complicated when Montenegro joined NATO.
"We will try to normalize relations with Moscow as soon as possible. Our new ambassador also received appropriate instructions," said an unnamed Komersant source in Đukanović's environment.
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