All the highest addresses in Montenegro must behave fully in accordance with the rule of law and procedures clearly prescribed by the Constitution, said Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović.
He told reporters on the sidelines of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit, which is being held in Tirana.
When asked by journalists about the opinion of the Venice Commission (VC) regarding the retirement of Constitutional Court judge Dragana Đuranović, Milatović said that he expects and calls political actors in the country to be held accountable.
"In order for a country to truly be governed by the rule of law, all the highest state addresses must behave fully in accordance with the rule of law and those procedures that are clearly prescribed by the Constitution of Montenegro," said Milatović.
As he said, the Supreme Court was clear that the constitutionally prescribed procedure was violated during the retirement of the Constitutional Court judge.
DON'T MISS IT
Milatović reiterated that he is concerned that this opinion is being interpreted today in the context of everyday political events, and added that he believes that this is not good.
He said that Montenegro, especially in this phase of European integration, is a country that must demonstrate, from the highest levels, its commitment to the rule of law and the procedures prescribed by the Constitution.
When asked what, in his opinion, is the best recipe for returning the situation to normal, Milatović emphasized that he expects a constructive role from all stakeholders.
According to him, no matter how advisory the opinions of the Supreme Court are, opposition and government actors who, with the support of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Montenegro, requested the Supreme Court's opinion should fully implement it.
Milatović said that he also expects the Union to play a constructive role in that process.
"I expect a constructive role from the EU in this, but also responsibility from the highest authorities in Montenegro," Milatović said.
Asked whether he planned any further steps to resolve the situation, Milatović said that he had already taken all the steps he could.
Milatović said that he was clear in his stances in which he protected the Constitution of Montenegro, which, as he stated, turned out to have been violated.
"There are clearly defined procedures, I expect everyone to behave responsibly," said Milatović.
Speaking about the main messages of the Summit, Milatović said that the most important thing was that the leaders of the Southeast European countries sent a message about the importance of regional cooperation.
He recalled that the SEECP is taking place amid great international tensions.
"We are currently living in a kind of security crisis in the world with the war in Ukraine and developments in the Middle East," said Milatović.
According to him, the message of support for dialogue, trust and cooperation among countries belonging to the Southeast European region is the key message today.
When asked by journalists whether there were any disagreements regarding the Summit Declaration and commenting on possible disagreements of the Serbian delegation with the text, Milatović emphasized that the most important thing is that within such platforms, different positions are overcome through discussion.
"Were there different views - yes. But it is precisely important that within such platforms we try to overcome these different views through discussion," said Milatović.
He emphasized that the constructive role of Montenegro as a country with clearly defined foreign policy priorities has been recognized in the region.
One of those priorities, he pointed out, is the role of a good neighbor.
"Montenegro is committed to regional cooperation, Montenegro is a good meeting place and Montenegro sees regional cooperation also through the European integration process," said Milatović.
When asked whether the Summit Declaration had been adopted, Milatović recalled that all countries had accepted the text of the Declaration at a technical level and that he, on behalf of Montenegro, confirmed that position.
"A strange situation occurred in which not all delegations agreed on what had already been agreed on a technical level," Milatović said.
He emphasized that he stood behind what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported within the framework of technical consultations between the participating countries.
Milatović participated in the SEECP at the invitation of Albanian President Bajram Begaj.
SEECP is the highest political format for regional cooperation among the countries of Southeast Europe with the aim of promoting and strengthening good neighborly relations, dialogue, political, security and economic cooperation.
SEECP includes 13 countries of Southeast Europe, which are already EU members or have the prospect of integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures.
Bonus video:
