The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) condemned, as they say, the Democrats' pressure on the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Montenegro, Brigadier General Zoran Lazarević, and they also believe that the Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović overstepped his authority.
"That the Montenegrin military-political scene is sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss since August 2020 has been proven by the constant persecution of captured cadres, and the latest scandal that we are witnessing is the chase that is being conducted against the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Montenegro, Brigadier General Zoran Lazarevic, since the attempt of his premature retirement, to the latest attacks on him as an honorable man and a proven professional," DPS said.
They say that Krapović, along with former defense minister Olivera Injac, will be remembered as "the most shameful chapter in the history of the Ministry of Defense of Montenegro", a NATO member state.
"In his last revanchist campaign, he turned his attention to Zoran Lazarevic, while forgetting the competences of the Minister of Defense, according to the Constitution and current laws. We remind the random and incompetent minister that commanding the Army, according to the Constitution of Montenegro, is the responsibility of the Council for Defense and Security and the Chief The General Staff, in accordance with the Law on the Army, Article 40. The Minister and the Ministry are solely responsible for implementing the decisions of the Army, they support the Army in terms of creating material conditions and staffing. And nothing more than that," states the DPS.
It is outrageous, as they said, what the Democrats are doing as a party of power that is "ready to do anything to clear space for its incompetent cadres."
"We strongly condemn the pressure that the Democrats are exerting on Lazarevic, who, during his service, proved himself to be a true patriot determined not to serve anyone's interests, except for the interests of Montenegro and its people," says the DPS.
It would be more expedient, they add, for Krapović to resign with "all his evidence" and "release the Ministry of Defense from its unprofessional leadership".
"Because we have all witnessed what the military system looks like since the liberators began to manage it, from the fact that our best and most educated officers, due to the assessment of the Democrats and their coalition partners, cannot be part of the system, to the fact that we are missing opportunities to send representatives to the high bodies of NATO, and most recently, a revanchist policy that is trying to remove from his post the Chief of the General Staff, one of the best officers that Montenegro has," concludes the DPS
Bonus video:
