The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Podgorica, Aleksandar Lukashik, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro today, the ministry announced.
They said that this was done in response to his recent inappropriate announcements and statements in the media, which represent a clear example of open and unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Montenegro.
"The reason for the invitation was the assessments of the Russian ambassador given after the adoption of the Decision of the Parliament of Montenegro on the accession of the Montenegrin Army to the NATO mechanism for providing security assistance and training to Ukraine (NSATU), and his negative comments on the interview of the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, given to the French newspaper 'La Croix'," the statement reads.
It was stated that such actions and criticism are absolutely unacceptable and that Montenegro will not allow anyone to threaten the dignity of its institutions.
"The Russian Ambassador was made clear that in the future, similar messages will be treated as deliberate hostile actions, to which the Ministry will respond adequately in accordance with international norms. It was conveyed that Montenegro expects the Embassy of the Russian Federation to fully respect its institutions and officials, and that in conducting its foreign policy, Montenegro does not act on the instructions of any party, but consistently follows its own national and strategic interests, defined by foreign policy priorities - NATO membership and commitment to the EU accession process," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
Lukasik said on November 13 that the Montenegrin parliament, which voted to send Montenegrin soldiers to the NATO mission to assist Ukraine, had distinguished itself with its "anti-Russian actions."
Previously, on November 1, he said that Podgorica's attempts to accelerate Montenegro's progress towards the European Union by reducing relations with Russia were "counterproductive".
Lukasik made this statement at the time after Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović said in an interview with the French newspaper "La Croix" that EU enlargement was the best strategy in dealing with the influence of third parties, including Russia.
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