Prime Minister and the Europe Now Movement (PES) Milojko Spajic "Vijesti" has learned unofficially that he has started talks with the parties of the ruling majority on the appointment of ambassadors from the political quota.
From that quota, 12 ambassadors should be appointed, four of which will be proposed by the coalition for the future of Montenegro (ZBCG).
That alliance, which consists of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) Andrije Mandić and Democratic People's Party (DNP) Milan Knežević, he was looking for ambassadorial positions in Beijing, Moscow, Athens and Belgrade, Knežević said the night before last in a program on RTNK.
According to unofficial information from "Vijesti", NSD and DNP have agreed that seats in Beijing, Athens and Belgrade will belong to Mandić's party, while Knežević's party will propose the candidate for ambassador in Moscow.
Knežević and Mandić are accused by the opposition of political ties with Russia, and they, along with two Russian citizens, are on trial for attempted terrorism on the day of the 2016 parliamentary elections. The leaders of ZBCG claim from the beginning that it is a matter of political persecution and a rigged process.
A source from the top of the DNP claims that Spajić accepted that ZBCG get ambassadorial positions in these four cities.
"According to the coalition agreement, the ZBCG coalition received four ambassadorial positions - in Serbia, Russia, China and Greece. We expect our candidates to go through all the necessary procedures and receive the approval of the Government and, finally, the President Jakov Milatović", was officially answered by "Vijesti" from DNP, after the inquiry.
According to one "Vijesti" source, ZBCG should propose ambassador candidates by February 10. Another interlocutor claims that the deadline has not been set.
The coalition agreement on power does not specify the distribution of ambassadorial positions, but only states that the constituents will "strictly comply with legal regulations and best practices in the area of appointing political positions". The Law on Foreign Affairs stipulates that a maximum of 30 percent of ambassadors can be appointed politically. However, it was said in public that ZBCG should get 40 percent of those appointments, which means - about 12 percent of the total number of ambassadors from the political quota.
According to "Vijesti" information, Spajić is conducting discussions on filling the diplomatic network individually with the parties. However, it is not known which ambassadorial positions should go to the remaining majority constituents. Two Albanian coalitions are allegedly interested in positions in Pristina and Tirana, but an interlocutor from one of those alliances says that the topic is not open, but that they will probably demand to propose candidates for individual embassies.
According to the Constitution, the president appoints and dismisses ambassadors at the proposal of the Government and with the opinion of the parliamentary committee responsible for international relations.
"Vijesti" has learned that the cabinet of the head of state Milatović tried unsuccessfully to establish communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) about the consultations.
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Last fall, Milatović initiated consultations with Spajić, the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of foreign affairs Aleks Bečić and Minister of Foreign Affairs Filip Ivanovic, but the meeting did not take place.
Ivanović recently stated that by the end of January, the state will have some proposals for ambassadors, "both political and non-political figures".
"We will do that gradually, taking care of priorities... The names, however, will not be known until after the agreement," he said.
Montenegro has ambassadors at only ten addresses in the world, while chargé d'affaires represent it at twice as many. Envoys represent Montenegro in some of the most important global political and financial centers, such as Washington, Beijing, London, Berlin and Abu Dhabi, and are also found in almost the entire environment.
The reason for such a state of the diplomatic network is the consequence of the impossibility of agreement between the previous two governments and the current head of state Milo Đukanović on the appointment of diplomats.
Milatović: I expect that we will send an ambassador to Belgrade soon
Yesterday, President Milatović received the credentials of the newly appointed ambassadors of Serbia Nebojša Rodić, Luxembourg Marko Hubš, Lithuania Eduardas Borisovas and Oman Bader Mohamed Bader Al Manteri.
As announced by Milatović's cabinet, the head of state pointed out in the conversation with Rodić that in the relations between Montenegro and Serbia there is room for strengthening interstate cooperation in mutual interest, "which the citizens of both countries have been expecting for a long time".
"He recalled how, after taking office, after visiting the EU institutions in Brussels, he chose Serbia for his first bilateral visit, which certainly represents a new moment in the relations between these two countries. He expressed his belief that the appointment of the Serbian ambassador to Montenegro will contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries, with the expectation that Montenegro will soon send an ambassador to Belgrade," the announcement states.
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