Lekić said that the fact that the contract for the Josip Marković Home was signed in Tivat was an act of immaturity, that such contracts are signed in Podgorica, possibly in Cetinje. Speaking about the swimming pool in Kotor, he stated that this was the desire of right-wing circles in Croatia to show that "Kotor is decided in Zagreb."
Ivan Vujović said that the current government is incompetent and incompetent, and that it has no ideology or principles, and that the only cohesive factors are positions and positions.
Nikola Rakočević said that the key national interest of the state is for Montenegro to join the EU, and that the key obstacle to this is "the one we have set for ourselves."
"Montenegro must preserve its dignity, but it must renew friendship with Croatia, but the process must be transparent. The closure of 10 chapters is announced... I fear that this government does not have the ability and knowledge to close more chapters, despite the goodwill of Brussels," he said.
He said he fears that there will be "new instruments of Belgrade's servants" in the Montenegrin government to slow down Montenegro's European path.
Miodrag Lekić said that he disagreed with Rakočević's interpretation, stating that he was "slapping labels" without evidence, claiming that these were "small Balkan games".
"I have no illusions about latent attempts from Serbia, Croatia, Albania... We must conclude that we have an ethnic disintegration disorder," said Lekić.
He said that there is not a sufficiently decisive state policy at the level of international relations, and that "great victories" are achieved together, and that serious states do so.
Ivan Vujović said that Montenegro has no reason to be angry with others, but only with itself, stating that Croatia has always been a strong ally on the European path, and that this is a story about an "incompetent government".
When asked about the Morinje camp, how he feels about the request for 17 million euros in compensation for the camp inmates, and that the issue of the Lora 3 camp in Croatia is still open, Ivan Vujović said that Montenegro should submit a request for similar compensation for the events in Lora.
"We need to deal with our own backyard, but we also need to open up the issue of Lore, how a responsible state policy should behave. With the resolution on Jasenovac, we opened up space for Croatia to behave in a certain way, but our government is non-transparent on many issues," said Vujović.
Nikola Rakočević said that Croatia did give the "green light" to close three chapters at the end of last year, but that the failure to close Chapter 31 was the responsibility of the parliamentary majority, directed from Belgrade.
He said that according to his unofficial information, there is a possibility that another Intergovernmental Conference could be organized in September, at which Chapter 31 would be closed.
Asked what he thought about the figure of 17 million euros for compensation for the Morinje camp inmates, Rakočević replied that it was a consequence of a poor negotiating position, that Montenegro had already donated part of its territory (the Josip Marković Cultural Center), and that he thought that Croatia should be asked for "full reciprocity" in the cases of Lora and other possible war crimes.
Asked whether he thought the Montenegrin government should compensate Montenegrin reservists who, as Komnenić said, were "deceived", Rakočević said he believed it should be done, but that Croatia should do it too.
When asked whether DPS is in favor of changing the name of the swimming pool in Kotor, which bears the name of Zoran Gopčević, Rakočević said that he could not speak about it, stating that Gopčević's name was mentioned in a negative context by the Croatian side back in 2021, and that DPS has no position on the issue.
Miodrag Lekić said that the problem is that the position of the state of Montenegro on many open issues with Croatia is not known.
"This entire set of relations with Croatia has been treated indolently by the DPS, I have documented it very well, how long the public was deceived, and this amateur version was created," Lekić stated.
"Croatia is leading the game here, we are on the defensive," he said, reiterating that he does not believe that Montenegro is not being governed from Belgrade.
Ivan Vujović said that he was certain that Montenegro would have closed Chapter 31 by now if the Resolution had not been adopted in Jasenovac.
"It is completely clear that this move was calculated to stop the integration process in one of the most sensitive chapters. We are not talking about what Croatia is doing here, this is about Montenegro," he said.
Asked what the SDP did on these issues while in power, with Komnenić's statement that the Morinje camp plaque speaks of "Greater Serbian aggression against Croatia", and that the participation of Montenegrins in the attack on Dubrovnik was not mentioned, Vujović responded with the question - "how can we equate Serbs and Greater Serbian politics?".
"That would be the same as equating Nazi policy with the German people. The fact that Montenegrins were in Dubrovnik is our shame, but they were there in the function of Greater Serbia policy. I don't see a problem with that. As for our relations in the 90s, it is clear which side we were on," said Vujović.
When asked by Komnenić why the issues were not resolved during the SDP government, Vujović said that these issues were not emphasized at the time because they were not "problematic".
"We have opened the integration process, despite many open issues. Both the Prevlaka and Adriatic issues can be resolved in many ways," he added.
He said that the real policy is that Croatia is a member of the EU, while Montenegro is not, and that "the political staff of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević" knew exactly how the Jasenovac Resolution would affect Montenegro's European path.
When Komnenić stated that a large part of the problems being discussed with Croatia today had accumulated during the DPS era, Rakočević responded that he understood that there was an idea "that DPS was to blame for everything", and that it was completely untrue that the honorary president of that party, Milo Đukanović, mobilized people to "go to Dubrovnik".
"I was just reading a very objective text, right on the Vijesti portal... There are verdicts before the International Tribunal in The Hague about the attack on Dubrovnik. That attack was directed from the JNA, meaning from Belgrade. Four generals were sentenced, Slobodan Milošević and Momir Bulatović. Mr. Đukanović was never a subject of that at all," Rakočević stated.
He said that responsibility was not located in Djukanovic, and that Djukanovic "has been seen as a friend of Croatia for the last 20-25 years."
"In 2000, an apology was sent... With the collapse of DPS 97, those who remained with Slobodan Milošević's policies are in power today. Open issues that have been going on for many years... no one blames the current government," said Rakočević.
In response to Komnenić's statement that the government had little time to do this, Rakočević said that the Josip Marković Cultural Center was donated to Croatia due to the government's "anti-statesman" behavior.
Miodrag Lekić, when asked how he remembers the early 90s, and whether there was any friction between Đukanović and Bulatović at the time, said that he remembers everything very well, and that it was an incredibly difficult time.
"There were domestic actors who contributed to the collapse of Yugoslavia, but also international ones... At one stage, the image of a mafia defending Montenegrin interests was created," he said.
He said that the "big winners" of the breakup of Yugoslavia were various mafias.
"This quasi-Montenegrin had tentacles all the way to the top of the government...", he said.
When asked by Komnenić how problematic it is that there are representatives in today's government who advocate for the EU, but live in the "early 90s", Lekić said that the politics of the 90s "continue with everyone".
He said that Montenegro should "eliminate" any provocations towards neighboring countries, and not defend all the government's moves, but not idealize others.
Speaking about talks with Croatia and that country's demands, Lekić said:
"I fear more that these concessions will lead to citizen dissatisfaction, but will also be counter-productive, leading to new demands," he said.
The show featured an interview with State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Periša Kastratović.
Kastratović said that representatives of the two countries discussed all open issues, which, he noted, have been there for three decades.
Asked whether the information that compensation for the Morinje camp inmates would amount to 17 million euros was accurate, Kastratović replied that Croatian Foreign Minister Goran Grlić Radman was in Tivat the previous weekend, and that a contract was signed then on the donation of the Josip Marković Home to the Republic of Croatia.
"Compensation is certainly on the agenda, I would not bid on figures, the agreement between the two parties is not to communicate with the public until an agreement is reached," Kastratović said.
When asked how much the Jasenovac Resolution made it more difficult to close Chapter 31, Kastratović said that he would not link open issues between the two countries to any act or the chapter itself, adding that relations with Croatia should be at the best possible level.
Asked whether there was any discussion about the Jadran ship, Kastratović said that they had agreed not to comment on individual issues in public, stating that diplomatic work requires a certain kind of discretion.
"The border issue is something that will require a lot of time, it is necessary to form commissions on both sides. We will try to resolve all issues bilaterally, if we cannot reach an agreement, it is possible that we will go to international forums," said Kastratović.
He said that the very fact that open issues are being discussed bilaterally is an indicator of maturity, and that this has been praised by Brussels.
When asked whether the declaration of Montenegrin officials as persona non grata was mentioned in the talks with the Croatian side, Kastratović said that he did not want to comment on that, but that did not mean that he justified that decision.
Journalist and author of the show, Petar Komnenić, noted that representatives of the ruling parties declined the invitation to be guests on the show.
Ivan Vujović said that government representatives "in a customary manner" avoid parliamentary procedures and guest appearances on shows that discuss important topics.
He said that Montenegro has reached an "impasse" when it comes to European integration.
"We are stalled in one of the most important chapters (Chapter 31), the genesis of the events that led to it is known," Vujović stated, adding that the adoption of the Resolution on Genocide in the Jasenovac, Dachau and Mauthausen concentration camp system is the main obstacle to closing Chapter 31.
Nikola Rakočević said that it is clear that Brussels wants Montenegro to be the next member of the European Union (EU), and that the community is demonstrating competitiveness at the geopolitical level through the enlargement process.
When asked by Komnenić whether DPS gave legitimacy to the Parliament by electing Rakočević as Deputy Speaker of Parliament, the DPS MP replied that "through various platforms and elements", including those in the Parliament, they can "throw" early parliamentary elections.
He pointed out that Brussels wants Montenegro in the EU more than the government, and that it is important that the entire society works towards EU entry, adding that there is a "clear directive" from Belgrade for Montenegro to "argue" with Croatia.
Miodrag Lekić, speaking about Montenegro's position in negotiations with Croatia, said that he did not think that Montenegro was in a defensive position, but that it was a matter of "confusion".
"I think there is a disintegration of values in the country, which is refracted into spirituality. This is where the relationship towards neighboring countries is set. I do not agree that the government does not want to join the EU, that is an asset for further political action. I do not believe that the government is being run from another country," he said.
He said that the Government is a collective body, and that each individual is responsible for its work.
In response to Komnenić's statement that the Serbian Parliament had not adopted the Jasenovac Resolution, Lekić said that Zagreb's demands would exist even if the Montenegrin Parliament had not adopted that resolution.
"I think it is unfair to Croatia that Andrija Mandić, Milan Knežević and Aleksa Bečić have been declared persona non grata," said Lekić, emphasizing that the resolution was nevertheless passed hastily.
The guests of tonight's show "Načisto" on TV Vijesti are: Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and MP of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Nikola Rakočević, diplomat and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Miodrag Lekić, and leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Ivan Vujović.
Bonus video:
