Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović forbade the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Montenegro (VCG) Zoran Lazarević activities abroad because that brigadier general in September, while participating in the meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Prague, allegedly spoke negatively about the work of the Government, some members of the Defense and Security Council, and the political situation in Montenegro.
This is written in the official note that Krapović made on October 4 and submitted to the Council regarding the suspension of Lazarević's activities, which "Vijesti" had access to.
In it, the Minister of Defense states that on September 30, from Brussels, "from allied sources", he received verbal information about the actions of the first man of the army at a meeting of NATO bodies held earlier that month in the Czech Republic. He claims that Lazarevic, during official and informal talks in Prague, based on his competences and powers, commented negatively on the political situation in Montenegro, individual members of the supreme command and their alleged political profiling against the Alliance, as well as the work of the executive branch, "expressing personal experiences and impressions", and a position "that does not represent the official position of the Ministry of Defense".
In the note, Krapović also claims that on September 18 in Tirana, at the conference of the chiefs of general staff of the armed forces of the member countries of the American-Adriatic Charter (A-5), without the consent obtained, that is, the necessary political decisions, Lazarević discussed the possibility of receiving support in the use of NATO joint funds for the improvement of the military part of the port of Bar and the "Knjaz Danilo" military airport.
Lazarevic told "Vijesti" yesterday that it is "absolutely incorrect" that he spoke negatively against the Government and part of the Council in the Czech Republic, that is, that he commented on the political situation in Montenegro.
"I have never done that, nor would I." These are NATO generals, NATO topics, certified meetings where absolutely no one talks about issues from their own country, but activities are coordinated for the needs of the Alliance," he claims.
When it comes to the meeting in Tirana, the first man of the army says that there is nothing controversial about it either. He states that he received an order from Krapović to make a statement about the case and that he told him that he would respond through a report, which he then submitted.
"There was the commander of the NATO command from Naples, as well as the commander of the Alliance's defense, General (Kristofer) Kavoli (Christopher Cavoli), we also had some conversations, and that's what generals do - they plan the deterrence and defense of the Alliance. These are not meetings where it is agreed how something should be done, how NATO funds should be used, which routes NATO units should take...", says Lazarevic.
The Minister and the Chief of the General Staff should attend today's session of the supreme command, the main topic of which will be last week's letter from Lazarevic to the members of that body, in which he accuses Krapovic of actions that harm the army.
The two had a heated argument yesterday after Krapović announced at a press conference that he informed the Supreme State Prosecutor that morning Milorad Marković about alleged illegal actions taken by Lazarevic. The Minister of Defense said that the first man of the army did not write a letter to the Council, but to the members of that body individually, that the letter was not classified, that it contained parts that should not be made public...
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"In the letter, the chief criticizes the minister's decisions, remarking that it is time to stop 'such behavior.' The letter was published in its entirety on media portals, the document does not contain the seal of approval of the Assembly, the Government, the President of Montenegro, which implies that Lazarevic himself sent it to the media. It is clear, when a message like this is sent from the position of the Chief of the General Staff, that the law, orders and decisions do not have to be respected - where can society and the army lead," Krapović said, saying that while he is a minister, "no one will play with the system and the state, not even the Chief of the General Staff".
When asked by a journalist what Lazarevic did to be banned from activities abroad at the beginning of the month, Krapovic replied that he did it because the head of the army "violated his authority and engaged in contacts and conversations for which he was not authorized." Krapović added that he informed the Supreme Command about Lazarević's moves, claiming that the brigadier general was instructed "by part of the opposition parties".
After Krapović's conference in the premises of the Ministry of Defense in Podgorica, in front of the department's building, the Chief of the General Staff told reporters that it was true that he had sent a letter to members of the Council, but that it was not true that he had violated Krapović's order prohibiting communication with the cabinets of Council members and ministers, stating that the ban does not apply to communication with heads of state, the Assembly and the Government.
"I am convinced that Krapović and someone else with him are deliberately collapsing the state's defense system... The reason for writing the letter is that he interferes in commanding the army and takes over the authority of the Council and mine. The second reason is because he forbade me to go abroad, to conferences of the EU military committee and a NATO body, so that for the first time in the multi-year duration of these bodies, the chair of Montenegro will remain empty. This is an unprecedented case and a shame for the state of Montenegro, and I will not be silent about it," Lazarevic said, announcing that he would file a discrimination lawsuit against Krapovic today at the Basic Court in Podgorica.
Several Montenegrin media announced at the end of last week that Lazarevic, in a letter to the members of the Council, accused Krapović of undermining the combat readiness of the VCG, that he "improperly and harmfully ordered that all the activities of the Chief of the General Staff abroad be removed from the Work Plan of the VCG for October". that he does it "unfounded, deliberate, and continuously..."
"...Trying to present the work of the Army units, as well as his (Lazarević's), as low-quality, unproductive and insufficiently professional, all in a way that does not befit a minister of defense".
Lazarevic addressed the Head of State and the Chairman of the Council in mid-September Jakov Milatović the request to "accept and sign" the decision on his dismissal from the head of the VCG, which was proposed by Krapović at the end of August.
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On August 28, the Minister submitted to the Council a proposal on the dismissal of Lazarevic due to "the assessment that a change of generations and rejuvenation of the officer cadre in the VCG is needed", but the Supreme Command rejected it because there was no consensus among its members on this.
The three-member Council, which consists of the heads of state, the Assembly and the Government, decides unanimously, and Milatović opposed Krapović's proposal, saying that he would support Lazarević's dismissal when he was told what the general did not do properly, or what he did badly. The remaining two members, the Speaker of Parliament Andrija Mandic (New Serbian Democracy) and the Prime Minister Milojko Spajic (Movement Europe fruit) supported Krapović's proposal.
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After that, on September 3, Krapović annulled the decision by which Lazarević's term of office was extended last year until the following June, stating that the Chief of the General Staff meets the conditions for termination of service, i.e. that he has over 40 years of insurance experience and is over 55 years of age. That is, that on September 4 of this year, he had 41 years, one month and ten days of insurance experience, over 56 years of age, and that he has been in the service of the Croatian Civil War since July 21, 1990.
At the same time as the request for Lazarevic's dismissal, Krapović submitted a proposal for the appointment of a colonel at the end of August Miodrag Vuksanović for the new Chief of the General Staff, but the Supreme Command did not consider the issue.
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Lazarević: And Krapović wanted to buy a motorcycle
In March, the Chief of the General Staff organized the return of a "yamaha" motorcycle with an official military vehicle, which previously transported eight Montenegrin soldiers to Slovenia, about which Krapović informed the Council on Tuesday.
Asked why he raised the issue after half a year, Krapović replied that when he found out about the abuse and after Lazarević's confession, he decided to propose his dismissal to the Council.
This, as he stated, was only one of many reasons for the dismissal of the head of the army.
"His request was that no investigation be initiated and no one be questioned. I didn't speak about it publicly because I wanted to preserve the integrity of the VCG, the defense system and the state," he said, adding that, in connection with the story about the motorcycle, he would propose to start a procedure to determine Lazarevic's disciplinary responsibility.
The first man of the army, on the other hand, claims that Krapović was informed about the transport of the motorcycle, as well as that he also inquired about buying a motorcycle in Slovenia due to the price difference.
"He knew everything about the motorcycle at the same moment when I used the empty space to deliver that motorcycle to Montenegro", said Lazarevic, claiming that the Minister of Defense in that case stated that "everything is clean".
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