The Ministry of Defense confirmed yesterday to "Vijesti" that before the visit of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro and Croatia, Ervin Ibrahimović and Gordan Grlić Radman, to the training ship "Jadran" on Monday in Bar, the icons that it had mostly received as protocol gifts from high-ranking domestic and foreign religious dignitaries who visited it were removed from the sailing ship.
"It is true that the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Montenegro (AVCG), Brigadier General Zoran Lazarević, ordered the removal of icons from the training ship 'Jadran'. In this regard, we would like to inform you that Minister Dragan Krapović (Democrats) does not support such actions. The position of the Ministry of Defense is firm and unequivocal: every member of the VCG, regardless of religious affiliation, has the right to freely profess their religion," Krapović's department told the newspaper.
A well-informed source told "Viiestima" that immediately before Ibrahimović and Grlić Radman arrived on the sailboat, the crew of the "Jadran" was ordered to remove all the icons that had been there for years from the walls of the ship's two salons below deck.
In addition to several donated icons as art objects, which were exhibited on board in the officers' lounge and the non-commissioned officers' lounge with numerous other protocol gifts and memorabilia that various guests from the country and abroad have given to the "Jadran" over the decades (crests of foreign warships or naval institutions, photographs, artistic paintings, etc.), the sailing ship of the Navy of the Republic of Montenegro also had an icon of Saint Nicholas, who in Christianity is the universal protector of sailors and mariners. This icon was placed by the ship's crew, which, in addition to Christians, has also included Muslims and Jews, as well as atheists, for years.
The Ministry of Defense told "Vijesti" that "respecting religious freedom and diversity within the military is essential for preserving unity and mutual respect among members of all faiths."
"It is particularly necessary to take into account the fact that the ship's crew itself displayed the icon of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of seafarers. We consider any act that calls this freedom into question unacceptable and incompatible with the fundamental values that the Armed Forces of Montenegro represent," the Ministry said.
Democratic MP Anđela Vojinović announced the day before yesterday that the party was aware that the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, Lazarević, during the visit of the Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs to the sailing ship "Jadran", ordered the removal of icons that had been "gifted to the ship by various officials for decades."
"Is it possible that in a country where religious rights and freedoms are guaranteed by the Constitution, we have a military official in the highest position who removes religious symbols, symbolic gifts that represent part of our historical heritage? Is it possible that the politics of a small group manifests itself by removing these valuable symbols, regardless of their cultural, religious and historical significance? Such behavior is not only professionally problematic, it deeply compromises the reputation of the Chief of General Staff...", she assessed.
Vojinović stated that she was "additionally concerned" that "this behavior is not an isolated case."
"For months, verified information has been circulating about abuses of official position by General Lazarević, including the use of military resources for personal purposes, such as smuggling his private motorcycle. Montenegro needs an Army that will serve the interests of the state and its citizens, not the personal ambitions of individuals. It is time for responsibility... Let's restore trust in institutions, and show that no one is above the law," she said.
The president of the Youth Forum of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and representative of the European Alliance, Jovana Marković, responded to Vojinović the day before yesterday that the logic of the Democrats is that the icons are the reason for Lazarević's resignation, but that the 13 victims in the recent massacre in Cetinje are not the reason for the resignations of Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić and Minister of the Interior Danilo Šaranović, who are officials of the Democrats.
"Is the ship actually a temple at sea? Are all the soldiers on the ship Orthodox? Has our army become Orthodox too? Maybe the Democrats have forgotten that the army is there to defend the state, not to become a training ground for ideological experiments," Marković stated, concluding that the Democrats "obviously care more about counting icons than taking responsibility for real problems."
The conflict between Defense Minister Krapović and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Montenegro Lazarević has been going on for several months. The disagreements began at the end of August last year when the Defense Minister submitted a proposal to the Defense and Security Council to dismiss the top military officer due to the "assessment that a generational change and rejuvenation of the officer cadre in the Armed Forces of Montenegro is necessary", but the Supreme Command rejected it because there was no consensus among its members on this.
The three-member Council, consisting of the heads of state, parliament and government, decides unanimously, and the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, opposed Krapović's proposal at the time, saying that he would support the dismissal of Lazarević when he was told what the general had not done properly or what he had done wrong.
Krapović subsequently annulled the decision that extended Lazarević's term of service until June 2023 in 2025, stating that the Chief of General Staff met the conditions for termination of service, i.e. that he had over 40 years of insurance service and was 55 years old. However, the Government Commission annulled Krapović's decision in mid-October.
The Minister of Defense provided Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Marković with information about, as he stated, Lazaravić's illegal actions, including, among other things, the failure to comply with the order to deliver documentation regarding the decision to transport a private motorcycle from Slovenia in a VCG vehicle.
One of the topics of dispute between Krapović and Lazarević is the issue of food procurement for the VCG. The military census commission found a series of irregularities and possible abuses in bookkeeping and procurement of food for the needs of the VCG in the warehouse in Zeta, and the military police informed the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica about it. Krapović accuses Lazarevic of not reacting on the occasion for months, even though he asked him to do so.
On the other hand, Lazarević sued the Ministry of Defense for discrimination, saying that the department had "infringed on his officer's honor and dignity" with numerous decisions. In early October, Lazarević accused Krapović in a letter of undermining the combat readiness of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, of "illegally and harmfully ordering the removal of all activities of the Chief of General Staff abroad from the Work Plan of the Armed Forces of Montenegro for October", and of doing so "unfoundedly, deliberately, and continuously..."
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