Mutual accusations between the presidents Jakov Milatović and the Prime Minister Milojko Spajić regarding the way the Defense and Security Council works, they indicate that it is a risky dysfunctionality that must not last long, and all of this will have a negative impact on the recently announced political dialogue between the two former party comrades, the beginning of which is not encouraging, the interlocutors of "Vijesti" assessed ".
"The blockade of the work of the Council for Defense and Security sends the message that we are a frivolous and dysfunctional state," a lawyer and former minister of the interior told "Vijesta" Sergej Sekulović.
Civic activist Stefan Djukic he assessed that despite the fact that it is pragmatic for both Spajić and Milatović to find some form of cooperation, because they could thereby regain some of their political capital and support, despite the fact that there is clearly a strong impulse from Brussels for this to happen, their vanity and their commitment to "small differences" makes this impossible.
"Many statements, first of all by Milatović, as well as numerous events, of which this non-scheduled session of the Council is only the latest in a series, show that the road to some form of reconciliation between these two political actors is very far," Đukić assessed.
The Council session was not held yesterday, because Spajić did not appear, following the dispute between the head of state and the prime minister around the presence of the Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović and Chief of the General Staff Zoran Lazarevic.
Sekulović said that the first conclusion is that "it is not close to establishing optimal cooperation between the President of Montenegro and the Government", but that cohabitation has elements of serious dysfunction.
"As the competences of the Council are essentially defined by the Constitution of Montenegro, and the decision-making process requires consent, we can draw another conclusion - that the current situation is difficult to resolve with normative changes," Sekulović pointed out.
He emphasized that, when the responsibilities of the Council for Security and Defense are taken into account, the third conclusion would be that it is a risky dysfunctionality that should not last long.
"Whether a solution will be found is in the hands of politics, or in other words, whether this is feeling the pulse of the other side or an intractable conflict. It is certainly in the public interest that the work of this body be unblocked as soon as possible," Sekulović pointed out.
The competences of the Council for Defense and Security prescribed by the Constitution are to make decisions on the command of the Army of Montenegro, analyze and evaluate the security situation in Montenegro and make decisions to take appropriate measures, appoint, promote and dismiss Army officers. The prescribed competences of the Council are to propose to the Assembly the declaration of a state of war and emergency, the use of the Army in international forces, and to perform other tasks established by the Constitution or the law.
On Monday, Milatović confirmed to journalists that he did not invite Krapović and Lazarević to the session of the supreme command, and assessed that the minister "by his actions disqualified himself" from further invitations to Milatović to attend the session. However, Spajić's cabinet informed the Council that the Prime Minister invited Krapović and Lazarević to the session, but Spajić did not appear at the session yesterday, after he announced that without the minister and the head of the General Assembly, the session "does not make sense".
Milatović accused him of blocking the work of the Council, of showing "incredibly irresponsible behavior" towards the VCG, the state, the President of the Assembly, himself and the citizens. "Unfortunately, not everyone is up to the task they occupy," Milatović told reporters at Villa Gorica.
He said that he is the third member of the Council, the head of the parliament Andrija Mandic came to the session, and after almost an hour, when the Prime Minister did not even answer the phone, he left.
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Milatović's cabinet told "Vijesta" that the prime minister was obliged to attend the Council session, because the presence of all three members is necessary for its holding.
"If the Prime Minister believes that the conditions for the work of the Council were not met, and that someone should have been invited additionally, then it should have been discussed at the Council session and decided by consensus. However, the Prime Minister's decision not to attend the session, because according to him the conditions were not met, was made unilaterally, which confirmed that unfortunately he did not learn that he cannot be the only decision-maker, as he learned. In doing so, he violated the Rules of Procedure of the Council, which is why he will bear responsibility for all the damage that will occur in the defense and security system," the cabinet announced.
They accused the Minister of Defense of having directly violated the Constitution and laws by taking active action and taking away the authority of the Chief of General Staff on several grounds.
"He directly interfered in the competence of the Council, which made the decision that the Chief of the General Staff should perform his function in full capacity, limiting his legal competences. "Also, he directly violated the obligation from the Law on the Army that the minister ensures the execution of the decisions on the command of the Army made by the Council," the cabinet said.
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The day before yesterday, Krapović announced that Milatović was interfering in his and the ministry's jurisdiction, and that he had never stepped outside of his legal powers.
Milatović's cabinet said that the way to solve this situation is simple: "the minister must return the competences to the Chief of the General Staff in accordance with the Council's decision on his election, which is a prerequisite for the functioning of the Army and the system as a whole. Krapović forbade Lazarević to represent VCG at international meetings.
"In this way, the Council is enabled to exercise the powers that the minister has evidently usurped," said Milatović's cabinet.
Yesterday, Spajić did not answer the questions of "Vijesti" whether the fact that the Council session was not held today means that the body is blocked and how this situation can be resolved. Mandić did not answer the questions either.
In yesterday's statement, Spajić's cabinet stated that Milatović refuses to provide working conditions for the members of the Council and thereby prevents its functioning. They claim that the conditions for holding the session have not been met, because the decision-making in the field of defense requires the opinion and explanation of the relevant Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff.
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"The session of the Council for Defense and Security began on October 11 in the presence of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff, which, without exception, has been the case at all sessions since the existence of this body. The continuation of the session was announced for today (December 10) and on that occasion Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, as a member of the Council, requested that the session be continued in the same format. Especially for the reason that one of the key points was the consideration of the proposal of the Minister of Defense on making a decision on the participation of Montenegro in NATO support activities for Ukraine - NSATU", it was announced from Spajić's office.
They state that on December 9, at 16.35:XNUMX p.m., an email was sent from the office of the Prime Minister to the Secretary of the Council, Colonel Velibor Bakrač, when the presence of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff was officially requested for the continuation of the session, but there was no response.
In the continuation of the Council session, which began on October 11, the main topic to be discussed was Lazarevic's letter to the members of the Supreme Command, in which he accuses the Minister of Defense of actions that harm the Army of Montenegro. Meanwhile, the agenda was supplemented by the proposal of the Ministry of Defense for the participation of Montenegro in the NATO mission to establish security assistance and training for Ukraine, and the proposal of the Ministries of Education and Health to enable the presence of the police in schools and health institutions.
Bogdanović: The Prime Minister has a correct and responsible approach
President of the Club of Deputies Democrats Boris Bogdanović announced yesterday that democracy implies dialogue, equal discussion and respect for procedures and that any attempt to circumvent that process is not only a violation of the rules but also ignoring the will of the citizens, who demand responsibility and transparency from their representatives.
He said that the prime minister has a correct and responsible approach, that at the same time he stands behind his minister and defends democratic principles.
"It is unthinkable that in organized parliamentary democracies, a discussion is held in any organ or body without the presence of the proposer, who is obliged to explain his proposal and answer the questions of those who decide," said Bogdanović.
"Krapović and Lazarević have already expressed themselves, the Council should only have made a decision"
The President's office states that the "collapse of the system" began when the Minister of Defense proposed the dismissal of the Chief of the General Staff and at the same time praised him as a soldier without objections, which was supported by the Prime Minister.
"Given that the minister did not give reasons for the dismissal, President Milatović refused. The minister, obviously not wanting to accept the Council's decision, is taking all actions to obstruct it, canceling the decision of the previous Minister of Defense (Filip) Adžić, which extended the term of service of the head of the GŠ until June 2025, but the same decision of Minister Krapović was canceled by the Commission for appeals", the cabinet reminds.
After that, Krapović makes a decision prohibiting Lazarević from representing the army abroad, "apparently only for the reason of putting pressure on the Council to support his proposal for dismissal".
"The Head of the General Directorate then sends a letter to the Council informing it that the Minister is violating the law, which is why the President schedules a meeting of the Council so that the members can familiarize themselves with the details and so that both the Minister and the Head of the General Directorate can present the details directly to the Council. "After the minister and the chief presented all the details, the session was interrupted, and the president scheduled a continuation without inviting the minister and the chief of the General Staff," the cabinet said.
They claim that the position of the Prime Minister's office that the conditions for holding the session were not met because the Minister of Defense, who was supposed to explain certain points on the agenda, was not invited.
"In order to decide on the item on the agenda regarding the letter from the Chief of the General Staff, it remained for the members of the Council to express themselves and make a decision, for which the presence of the minister and the chief was not necessary, because they had already expressed themselves earlier," said the cabinet.
They say that for other items on the agenda, if the Prime Minister thinks that an additional explanation from the Minister of Defense was needed, it would be decided at the Council because all decisions are made by consensus.
"From all of the above, it is more than clear that the prime minister's irresponsible moves as a member of the Council threaten the security system in the country and our reputation as a member of the NATO alliance," they concluded.
A bad start to the "dialogue" between Milatović and Spajić
Speaking about how the current situation around the Council will affect the dialogue between Spajić and Milatović, Sekulović said that it is still too early to make a final conclusion, but that the beginning is certainly not encouraging.
"It remains to be seen if they can overcome the differences in the public interest," Sekulović pointed out.
Stefan Đukić assessed that at this moment it is an open question whether there will be a dialogue at all, both the "party" one and the one that represents legal obligations, "for example, regarding the appointment of ambassadors and the like".
On November 28, Milatović announced that, when he returns from Brussels, where he stayed last week, he will invite Spajić to a dialogue regarding European integration and the strengthening of the "civic and European center". Spajić's cabinet welcomed the invitation, saying that the prime minister will treat this initiative with special attention when it is formalized, which has not yet happened.
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