Montenegro has weakened the negotiating position we have with Croatia and that is not good, said President Jakov Milatović.
He and Croatian President Zoran Milanović, who is on an official visit to Montenegro, are giving a lecture at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Podgorica on the topic "EU Enlargement as a Geopolitical Imperative".
Milatović said that, "at a time of somewhat strained relations" between Montenegro and Croatia, Milanović's visit is an important message.
"Croatia has been a great supporter when it comes to our NATO membership. It is also a very important partner on the EU path. We have set an ambitious goal - entry by 2028. Today, EU enlargement is also in the context of a broader story. We certainly count on Croatia's support on this European path. I said last year that the Jasenovac Resolution did not benefit our relations. It was an unnecessary political goal that had no statesmanlike character, but rather a distraction from the vote for the Jasenovac Resolution in the United Nations. Montenegro has weakened the negotiating position we have with Croatia, and that is not good. I reacted in the same way to some bad statements coming from Croatia on the topic of the Lora camp," he said.
He emphasizes that regional cooperation is essential for European integration.
"I am very pleased to have my friend Zoran Milanović here, who was the head of the government when Croatia became a member of the EU. It is clear from his statements and views that the EU is not ideal, but it is not the best that currently exists."
Milatović said that he and Milanović met with the Croatia-Montenegro Business Club and that on that occasion they also discussed business barriers, such as delays at the border.
Milanović: The greatest achievement you can have is your country
Zoran Milanović said that "the greatest achievement you can have is your country."
The real nutritional value is in that, and everything else is a dietary supplement. It's the same with NATO, it's the same with the EU. All former Yugoslav states, after production, were reduced to a service system. I would like my country to be strong, and to control processes, to have production. Get ready for the EU. Institutions connect you, but they are not strong. The EU is not a state, nor was it designed to become one.
He says "those up there" are obsessed with the Russian threat.
"From something that is an illusion - it becomes a delusion. They are arming themselves in anticipation of great trouble. I don't see it and I don't want to prepare for it."
When asked by a student whether the problem of the training ship "Jadran" could be solved, Milanović said that it was not the executive branch, it could not influence, and he did not want to cause trouble.
However, he added that for Croatia, that ship is theirs, and for Montenegro, the path to the EU is a choice.
"Life is good in Russia, but Ukraine suffers. We have completely destroyed it"
He pointed out that the EU is not a state, but that the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, is pursuing a dangerous policy.
"Nothing personal, nothing against that country (Estonia), but I was afraid that she would become NATO Secretary General, and she became EU Foreign Minister - even worse. The EU is not a real country, it was not even conceived as such," said the first man of Croatia.
Milanović also said that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was not elected to the position. "A German should not be at the head of the EU because the issues are big, and Germany is too strong."
"When some top official says the EU will spend 800 billion. Who did she consult with? Do you remember Juncker? That guy who liked to drink, grab men by the lower back. He had a plan of 700 billion, no one saw the euros. Is that PPP, nominal GDP? No one knows," he added.
Milanović said that the Balkans are not geopolitics, but rather Ukraine.
"The Balkans were not geopolitics in the 1990s, nor were they in World War II. Hitler wanted to bypass it, if not for the justice-loving Serbian people. To his own detriment. Yugoslavia did not function," he pointed out.
The Croatian President said that his relationship with Russia and Putin has always been cold and that he has kept his distance, but
"The EU will arm itself, Russia is a war economy. It is impossible to estimate how much Russia spends on defense, but it spends a lot. That Russia was declared a gas station with nuclear weapons. That is arrogance. That country sent men to the moon. And I say that as a Croat. Let some Montenegrin say it. The war economy, for example, was the USA in World War II. Some products were not available because everything was given to defense, but they made progress. In Britain, food was bought by the dozen until 1955. That is not the case in Russia, people live well, and Ukraine suffers. We from the EU destroyed it," Milanović assessed.
He also says that Russia is demographically older than Montenegro. "How will they attack Poland? Someone needs to say 'the emperor is naked,'" he said.
When asked about the formation of an alliance between Croatia and Albania and Kosovo, Milanović said that "a big elephant is being made out of a fly" and that there is no alliance, no money, etc., and that he is asking questions in the army.
Milatović: There were no sinless people in the 1990s
When asked by a student what moves Montenegro would make to "atone for the disobedient nineties", Milatović assessed that Montenegro is an open country, an integral part of the UN, and that it wants to cooperate with all countries in the world on the principles of equality.
He added that there were no sinless people in the 1990s, and that, although one should admit one's mistakes, one should also point out the mistakes of others.
"We have not yet opened the topic of how to commit to three percent allocations for defense"
When asked by reporters whether the state is preparing well militarily if it gives land to the church, Milatović said that it is expected that Montenegro will commit to spending more on defense at the summit in The Hague this year.
"That should be around three percent of GDP. You know that some Eastern European countries allocate around four percent. What I can say is that at the sessions of the Defense and Security Council, we have not yet raised the topic of how Montenegro can commit to three percent allocations," he said.
As he added, they must first be notified about this by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defense.
"Relations are good"
When asked by a "Vijesti" journalist why the issues were not raised until 2020, he said that it was "antiquity", but that Spain and Portugal have had unresolved issues since the Napoleonic Wars.
As he pointed out, they are the only Slavic nation that is littoral.
"We will reach an agreement sometime, somewhere about 'Adriatic'. We have unresolved problems with the Slovenians, but we are moving forward. Relations are good," the Croatian president assessed.
"The border is a serious matter and should not be perceived as something that just exists," he added.
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