The Committee on International Relations and Emigrants gave a positive opinion that Nebojša Đoković should be the Ambassador of Montenegro to Serbia, and that Bernard Čobaj should be the Ambassador of Montenegro to Kosovo.
All eight members of the Committee present voted for Nebojša Đoković, while six voted for Čobaj.
Against the appointment of Čobaj were MPs from the coalition "For the Future of Montenegro" - Velimir Đoković and Jelena Kljajević.
The members of the opposition did not attend the session.
During the discussion, Nebojša Đoković said that he was a great honor to be nominated as ambassador, but also that Serbia is one of the closest countries to Montenegro, with which it has spent 88 years together.
"Today, the two countries have no open issues, they have a defined border and both are on the path to joining the European Union (EU). There is almost no family that does not have relatives in Serbia, and Serbian tourists are among the most numerous in Montenegro," Djokovic pointed out, adding that the most frequent airline is with Belgrade.
He said that economic relations are constantly on the rise, but that we should always work on strengthening cooperation.
As he added, Serbia's foreign policy is multi-vectoral.
"The priorities are cooperation with the EU, regional good-neighborly relations, maintaining developed cooperation with Russia and China, and improving relations with the United States of America (USA). Also, great attention is paid to relations with the countries of the Arab world and Africa. Serbia has opted for military neutrality, and at the same time, the Serbian military forces have close cooperation with NATO," said Đoković.
Committee Chairman Duško Stjepović announced that Head of State Jakov Milatović had sent proposals for opinions on three more candidates for ambassadors - to NATO, to the permanent mission to the United Nations, and to Austria.
New Serbian Democracy (NSD) MP Velimir Đoković said that Nebojša Đoković is characterized by professionalism, and that he carries out every obligation consciously and according to the law.
As he emphasized, he and the candidate for ambassador to Serbia share the same last name, but are not related.
Democratic People's Party (DNP) MP Jelena Kljajević indicated that she has no doubt that Nebojša Đoković will handle the ambassador's duties in the best possible way, and that she wants to express her satisfaction that the appointment and vote for him are taking place today because relations with Serbia are very important to them, not only for economic, but also for historical and sentimental reasons.
During the second item on the agenda, MPs gave their opinions on the appointment of Čobaj.
During the discussion, Čobaj said that he has been in the diplomatic service for almost 20 years, and that he was the chargé d'affaires at the Montenegrin embassy in Pristina.
"The mission we set as an embassy was to increase visibility in the host country, that is, to improve the image of our embassy. The feedback we received from various Kosovo social actors during those year and a half, including our extensive diaspora, including various business entities from Montenegro who often come to Kosovo, but also representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is that we have fulfilled that goal. We owe that mostly to cultural diplomacy," he pointed out.
As he added, they had over twenty events in the field of cultural diplomacy, including - the performance of the play by the Montenegrin National Theatre Bladi Moon in Pristina, as well as performances by Montenegrin musicians, exhibitions by Đeljoš Đokaj...
"What we have been most visible, most recognizable in is cultural diplomacy - it is our authentic identity card in achieving the country's foreign policy goals. The importance of cultural diplomacy is spoken of in the 1946 UNESCO Constitution, and we can also find support for the importance of cultural diplomacy in many great contemporary writers such as Orhan Pamuk, Milan Kundera, and Amin Malouf," he said.
He cited an EU document from 2016 which, among other things, states:
"Culture must be part of our foreign policy. Culture can also be the 'engine' of economic and social development. Through culture, we build an alliance of civilizations against those who try to divide us. This is why cultural diplomacy must be at the center of our relationship with the modern world," said Čobaj, emphasizing that cultural diplomacy will be the core of the activities of the Embassy of Montenegro in the Republic of Kosovo.
Europe Now Movement (PES) MP Seid Hadžić said that Čobaj and Đoković have strong biographies, and that he would be happy to vote for these people.
Vice President of the Committee and representative of the Bosniak Party, Admir Adrović, indicated that he was pleased that today they had the opportunity to give their opinion on the ambassadors to two neighboring countries.
Bonus video:
