No ambassador of the member states of the European Union (EU) responded to the invitation of the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, to attend the celebration of the Day of Parliamentarianism in Villa "Gorica" the night before last.
Of the NATO member countries, only one ambassador attended the ceremony - Turkey's Baris Kalkavan.
"Vijesti" asked the embassies of the Quinte countries (USA, France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy) and the EU Delegation why their top-ranking diplomats refused Mandic's invitation, and only the British embassy answered, saying that Ambassador Dawn McCann did not respond to the invitation. "due to previously undertaken obligations". The ceremony was attended by the head of the embassy's political department, they added.
According to "Vijesti" unofficial information, the German embassy was represented at the event by the head of administration.
The ceremony was also attended by the ambassadors of China, Russia and Palestine, Fan Kun, Vladislav Maslenikov and Rabi Alhantuli, the head of the OSCE Mission Dominik Vag, the UN coordinator Peter Lundberg...
"News" from the Assembly did not answer the questions whether the embassies of the Quinte countries and the EU Delegation informed them why they did not come to the Villa "Gorica" to mark the 117th anniversary of the establishment of parliamentarism in Montenegro.
Those countries opposed the entry of Mandić's Coalition for the Future of Montenegro (ZBCG) into power, and the US Embassy told them that this alliance, which was against the country's membership in NATO and the recognition of Kosovo's independence, was not their partner.
"The reality is that the participation in government of groups or leaders who refuse to condemn Russian aggression, refuse to stand up for the rights of Ukraine, refuse to support EU sanctions against Russia, refuse to protect the rights of minorities and refuse to respect the sovereignty of neighboring countries such as Kosovo, drastically hinders the efforts of Montenegro in achieving its European aspirations", said to "Vijesta" in early October, US Ambassador Judy Reising Rajnke, on the eve of the formation of the current government of which ZBCG is a part.
The Quinte countries and the EU Delegation did not congratulate Mandić on his election to the position of head of parliament, which he took up at the end of October, nor have their ambassadors officially met with him since then.
It was announced on the parliament's website that Mandic received congratulations from the President of the Assembly of Israel Amir Ohana, the President of the National Assembly of Serbia Vladimir Orlić, the President of the National Assembly of Slovenia Urška Klakočar Zupančič, the head of the OSCE Vag Mission, the Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (ISP) and a member of the Greek of Parliament Maksimos Harakopoulos... The website also announced that Mandic met in parliament with the ambassadors of China, Russia, Turkey, Greece, chargé d'affaires at the embassies of Serbia and Hungary...
The Parliament did not respond to the "News" about whether Mandić's meetings with the representatives of the Quinte countries and the EU Delegation are planned.
The Day of Parliamentaryism was marked ten days late - it is celebrated on October 31, because on that date in 1906, the first National Assembly of Montenegro was constituted in Cetinje.
According to "Vijesti" unofficial information, certain dignitaries, such as some former members of parliament, received an invitation to the ceremony only the day before. "Vijesti" learned that the former head of parliament, Ranko Krivokapić, who held that position for 13 years and who introduced the Day of Parliamentaryism, was not invited to the event.
In Villa "Gorica" there were deputies, the chief special prosecutor, the supreme state prosecutor, the director of the Public Service...
Nikolić: Mandić is hindering progress towards the EU
Deputies of the strongest opposition party - the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) did not attend the ceremony, and the head of their parliamentary club, Andrija Nikolić, announced that they did not do so because they are aware of the fact that Mandić "was appointed to a high state position in order to institutionally hinder the progress of Montenegro towards membership in the EU".
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"The latest departure from the Euro-Atlantic, allied policy, Mandić demonstrated yesterday (the day before yesterday) by receiving the ambassador of the Russian Federation, a country to which Montenegro imposed sanctions following the EU policy in condemning the aggression against Ukraine," said Nikolić.
In the original version of the text, it was announced that the ambassador of North Macedonia in Montenegro, Zećir Ramčilović, also attended the ceremony, but he did not attend. We apologize to the ambassador and to the readers.
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