Advisor to the President of the State for Foreign Policy, Marija Lakić Barfus, announced that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Filip Ivanović, is changing his thesis when it comes to the process of appointing ambassadors.
Ivanović, commenting on the article by TV Vijesta, which states that Montenegro still does not have ambassadors in 27 countries and that consultations between the Government and Milatović have been going on for months, said that the MFA has a responsible and dedicated approach to filling the diplomatic network, and that the holding of consultations is conditional on scheduling an appointment that would correspond to the demanding agendas of the President of the State, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
DON'T MISS IT
Lakić Barfus said that in response to questions from the media, the president's cabinet expressed objections regarding the essence of the process of appointing candidates for ambassadors, the quality of individual candidates, with special emphasis on the reason for their selection for individual DKP, and not on technical-administrative issues that are treated in the response Ivanovic.
"If any institution in Montenegro in the past period showed commitment to the foreign policy agenda, strengthening the credibility of Montenegro as a NATO member, as well as improving the relations of Montenegro with its neighbors, strengthening the role of Montenegro in multilateral frameworks, essentially speeding up the European integration of Montenegro, that is The President of Montenegro. things," said Lakić Barfus.
She said that the president is the last person who can be blamed for lack of promptness and delay when it comes to topics of national interest, such as the issue of appointing ambassadors.
He points out that Milatović is the only one who held talks with all the candidates, some of whom were not even in line with the proclaimed foreign policy agenda, while some had dual citizenships.
"If the MFA approached the process thoroughly, the question arises how is it possible that some of the potential candidates did not even meet the legal requirements for appointment? We understand the dynamics imposed by party agreements, but the proposal does not come from political parties but from the Government, which is expected to propose candidates who meet the legal requirements, and who understand the foreign policy goals of our country, and who will implement not the party's interests, but the state's interests," said Lakić Barfus.
Milatović, she said, previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the approach to the selection of proposals, both with the procedure itself (the fact that there were no consultations with potential candidates), and with the emphasis on party appointments to the detriment of career diplomats, and that in the most important positions.
"We repeat that the politicization of the diplomatic network is further problematized through the prism of the appointment of political ambassadors in the centers that they view as the parent. So far, we have received the Government's proposal to the Cabinet of the President for the appointment of seven ambassadors, of which as many as four are political-party appointments, and three are from number of career diplomats, even though the percentage of 30 percent is set by law. Also, the fact that the government has not proposed a candidate for ambassador to NATO is worrying, bearing in mind that the post has been vacant for a long time, and that one of the main foreign policy priorities, the strengthening of credibility within the NATO alliance. The importance of the urgent appointment of ambassadors to NATO has been well-intentioned by the allies".
Milatović's adviser pointed out that there is still no proposal even for a permanent representative at the United Nations in New York, bearing in mind the candidacy for a non-permanent member of the UNSC in 2026-2027.
"And this appointment should have been a priority, since strengthening the role of Montenegro in multilateral frameworks is a foreign policy priority of Montenegro. At the same time, although there is often talk of strengthening relations with neighbors, the Government did not even propose ambassadors to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania Finally, although foreign policy consultations are not an obligation prescribed by the Constitution or the law, they are necessary and are carried out in every democratic state, so one cannot talk about someone's good will," concluded Lakić Barfus.
Bonus video:
