The government did not hear that Milo was "going" to NATO

The Government and the Ministry of Defense were not informed in any way about the alleged initiative for the candidacy of the former President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović for Deputy Secretary General (Sec) of NATO.

That such an initiative is allegedly being prepared by several members of the Alliance, including Turkey, was announced last week by two local portals - "Firtina Haber" and "Turkiye'de Enerji", referring to diplomatic sources from several members and unnamed officials from the ministries of foreign affairs. and national defense of Turkey.

The Ministry of Defense told "Vijesta" that they had received neither formal nor informal notification about the possible candidacy of Đukanović - neither directly from any NATO member, nor through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

That department states that candidacies for that position are not an issue within their jurisdiction, so, as written in the answer, their position on that issue would not be sought either at the national or at the Alliance level.

"The Ministry of Defense does not have the authority to propose accepting or withholding support in the matter of candidacies for the position of Deputy Secretary General of the Alliance. The deputy is chosen exclusively by the Secretary General of the Alliance, and for that decision he does not need the consent or consensus of the member countries", said the department headed by Dragan Krapović.

The source of "Vijesti" from the top of the Government also said that they were neither formally nor unofficially familiar with the alleged proposal. He explains that political positions in NATO are reached by "lobbying within the system", and that the practice is for those who do this to contact the country where the potential candidate is from.

"There was no signal even on such channels... But it is possible that someone is lobbying," the interlocutor states.

Đukanović's office did not respond to Vijesti whether the former president was aware of the preparation of the alleged initiative for his candidacy, whether anyone contacted him about it, and if so - by whom and when.

The newspaper's source from the leadership of Đukanović's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) said that "a serious team" is lobbying for the appointment of the former head of state to NATO, but that he does not know how realistic it is or if it is at all.

The Secretary General chooses a deputy, and the consensus of 32 member states is needed to choose the head of NATO. The new head of the Alliance should be elected at the NATO summit in Washington, which will be held in July.

The portal "Firtina Haber" announced, as reported by the Montenegrin media, that the preparation of the initiative for the candidacy of Đukanović is underway, which is allegedly supported by nine members of the Alliance, including Turkey. It is stated that the political assessment of those members is that a candidate from Eastern Europe has a great chance of becoming the deputy secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, because the top position in the Alliance will again be assigned to the "old" members.

It also says that the leaders of the NATO countries want to maintain the influence of the Eastern European bloc within that military-political alliance, "because of strategic plans to strengthen the eastern wing, as a way to protect the Alliance from aggressive Russian behavior."

"Firtina Haber" states that the explanation for Đukanović's candidacy highlighted, among other things, his "leadership in the democratic transition of Montenegro towards membership in NATO and the EU, along with the construction of a tolerant multi-ethnic society".

"As a benefit for the Alliance from his election as Deputy Secretary General, a dozen specific points are listed, among which is a very important message that NATO would send with Đukanović's election - that it does not allow Russian influence to flow into its member, which is both a symbol and the key to preserving security on the post-conflict Balkans", the text reads.

The "Turkiye'de Enerji" portal also writes, as reported by the Montenegrin media, that nine NATO members are participating in the preparation of Djukanovic's candidacy. They say that "the Balkans should have its own man at the top of NATO, as one of the potential crisis areas, which is defined as such by the policies of the Alliance". It was stated that Đukanović is a politician who marked "tumultuous three decades of Montenegrin and Balkan history", and that "he seems to be returning to the big stage, but this time in an international capacity".

"That is enough to raise passions in the still politically heated Balkans," reads the text that was reported by local media.

"Firtina Haber" is a portal that, according to publicly available data, has only 25 visits per month, while "Turkiye'de Enerji" has only 600 visits per month.

When asked if it is true that Turkey is among the initiators of the initiative for the candidacy of Đukanović, one "Vijesti" source said that he could neither confirm nor deny this.

Military analyst and executive director of the Strategic Policy Council Nikola Lunic, told "Vijesta" that Đukanović's political experience and role in the process of Montenegro's accession to NATO definitely make him a serious and credible candidate for the post of Deputy Secretary General.

He states that, "under different global geopolitical circumstances and of course with the support of Montenegrin officials", Đukanović could even apply for the position of general secretary, "which he would certainly perform more successfully than some of his predecessors".

"However, at this moment of the re-composition of the European security architecture and the strengthening of NATO's eastern wing, it would be a surprise if he was elected as the Deputy Secretary General of the Alliance. Bearing in mind that analysts give the most odds Mark Rute to be the Secretary General of NATO, then the deputy should be someone from the Eastern European countries, which are deeply involved in helping Ukraine," said Lunić.

Asked whether, without the consent of the home state, it is possible to elect any candidate for the post of deputy, the interlocutor reminds that there is no formal procedure for the election of either the general secretary or the deputy, and that "it is traditionally achieved by consensus as a result of informal diplomatic compromises".

"Given that the election procedure does not exist, the election is practically possible even without the consent of the home state, but this does not happen in practice," states Lunić.

Routes within reach of the function of general secretary

The day before yesterday, Hungary and Slovakia supported the candidacy of Mark Rutte for the new Secretary General of NATO, which, writes "Reuters", is an important step for the former Dutch Prime Minister on his way to get that position.

Only Romania, whose president Klaus Iohannis also wants the post of secretary-general, remains opposed to Rute's candidacy.

Rute's cabinet did not answer the questions of "Vijesti" whether it was contacted by any of the member states or someone on their behalf with the alleged initiative for Đukanović to be deputy secretary general, if so - by whom, when and on whose behalf, whether there are already any options for candidates for deputies, did he talk to anyone about it, did he talk to Đukanović about it, and did he think that Đukanović would be a good candidate for deputy.