Podgorica's attempts to accelerate Montenegro's progress towards the European Union (EU) by reducing relations with Russia are counterproductive, Russian Ambassador to Montenegro Aleksandar Lukashik said today.
He made this statement after Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović said in an interview with the French newspaper "La Croix" that EU enlargement is the best strategy in dealing with the influence of third parties, including Russia.
DON'T MISS IT
"We read President J. Milatović's interview with the French newspaper 'La Croix'. To our surprise, the head of state stated that Montenegro's accession to the European Union is the best possible strategy for combating the influence of third countries, including Russia. In this regard, we would like to recall the following. As is well known, the cultural and spiritual affinity between Russians and Montenegrins is rooted in centuries-old history, the backbone of which relations between them serve as an important prerequisite for their further rapprochement. It would be logical to use this factor to develop mutually beneficial cooperation and increase the implementation of joint projects and integrative ties," Lukašik emphasized in a statement.
He added that unfortunately, the political leadership of Montenegro chose a different path, continuing the policy of severing relations with Russia.
"Official contacts are broken off, state flights are non-existent, economic cooperation is frozen, the inflow of Russian investments is declining, and the number of Russian citizens residing in and visiting the country is also declining. At the same time, since joining NATO in 2017, Montenegro has been involved in promoting the alliance's plans to carry out tasks related to 'hybrid warfare' against Russia. Montenegrin military personnel are included in NATO contingents in Bulgaria and Latvia. Moreover, Montenegrin representatives are participating in the EU military assistance mission to Ukraine. Under these circumstances, can we talk about any influence that Moscow is exerting on Podgorica? Of course not. What are we talking about then?" said Lukasik.
He said that it is also worth noting that Russia has never been against Montenegro's accession to the EU.
"This is its sovereign choice. However, we believe that Podgorica's attempts to accelerate Montenegro's progress towards the EU by reducing relations with Russia are counterproductive. In practice, this approach harms Montenegro itself, as it seriously limits its ability to attract foreign investments, innovative developments and best practices in various areas for the country's socio-economic and technological development. For our part, we remain open to the restoration of full-fledged relations with Montenegro. We see no obstacles to this. This concerns bilateral cooperation, especially in areas such as energy, transport, information technologies, infrastructure, tourism and many others. We are ready to consider all initiatives in this direction," Lukasik said.
Bonus video:
