Following EU policy, Montenegro did not support the Russian resolution at the UN condemning Nazism, neo-Nazism, revisionism and racism, because since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, and especially after the invasion of that country, Moscow has been abusing this initiative to create a narrative that attempts to justify aggression.
This follows from the response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to a question from "Vijesti".
The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on November 14. The document was supported by 114 countries, 52, including Montenegro, were against, and 12 abstained.
The resolution, after the committee, should be decided by the UN General Assembly. The document is not yet available on the website of that international organization.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the editorial staff that the fight against the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fueling modern forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance is a resolution that Russia traditionally, in cooperation with Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Laos, submits to the UN.
The initiative, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has always caused controversy, attracted the attention of the domestic and international public, and, they add, was subject to arbitrary interpretations.
"What is dominantly controversial for the EU and Montenegro is the accompanying narrative used by Russia, which partly delves into what is a common heritage and the fight against fascism and Nazism, the interpretation of history, the appropriation of merit and/or the one-sidedness of condemnations. Montenegro has never voted for the adoption of this resolution. In previous years, it abstained," the department he heads reminds. Ervin Ibrahimovic (Bosniak Party).
"With the largest number of allies from World War II"
The MFA says that since the beginning of the conflict - and especially after the aggression against Ukraine (which began in February 2022) - Russia, abusing this initiative, has been introducing a narrative that attempts to justify the invasion.
"The EU is changing its position and, instead of its previous abstention during voting, is starting to vote against. As a country that fully follows the common foreign and security policy and the EU's positions, Montenegro has done the same," it writes in the responses to "Vijesti".
Ibrahimović's department states that in the negotiations on the resolution, which are being conducted at UN headquarters, the Union "has always shown constructiveness and has been dedicated to building consensus."
"However, this, unfortunately, was not understood by Russia, which has different motives and goals for adopting this resolution, and which, when defining the text, makes a unilateral selection of assessments from the reports of UN mechanisms," the MFA claims.
They add that Montenegro is a member of NATO and "the first subsequent EU member" that has been harmonizing its positions with countries "that inherit Euro-Atlantic and European civilizational values" for more than a decade.
"The principled behavior of our country is highly appreciated by EU member states, which is particularly welcomed in EC (European Commission) reports, and is of crucial importance for the achievement of our foreign policy priority - EU membership. Anti-fascism is an inseparable part of the historical, cultural and state essence of Montenegro," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlines.
They state that, given that the state is rightly proud of its past and the fact that the first uprising against fascism on European soil broke out in Montenegro on July 13, 1941, "it is our duty to always and everywhere raise our voices against fascism and ideologies of hatred and intolerance."
"This also includes the obligation to never support a narrative aimed at revising history, nor attempts to misuse the fight against fascism to justify human rights violations, crimes and aggression against a sovereign state. The correctness of our position is best illustrated by the fact that we voted the same as the majority of our allies from World War II," the MFA said.
Jakšić: The Russian hook was not swallowed
Foreign policy commentator Bosko Jaksic, he recalled that Russia regularly submits this resolution and that it also regularly faces opposition from the US and some other Western countries.
"Not because there is an unwillingness to condemn the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other forms that fuel contemporary forms of racism, but because it is a propaganda activity," he claims.
Jakšić assessed that Moscow is now directly using the resolution to justify its aggression against Ukraine, which, he says, was motivated by the "denazification" of the authorities in Kiev.
"The Kremlin is cunningly putting countries in a delicate dilemma, but when you know what is behind the Russian resolution, then Montenegro, as a member of NATO, has shown that it did not swallow the Russian bait and that it does not need to worry about not being among the 114 countries that voted 'in favor' and that someone will try to accuse it of not being ready to condemn Nazism," Jakšić told "Vijesti".
Anti-fascists of Cetinje: Humiliation of Partisans
The NGO Antifascists of Cetinje announced a few days ago that Montenegro, "to the great shame of its antifascist tradition," voted against the UN resolution condemning Nazism, neo-Nazism, revisionism, and racism.
“There is no room here for ‘geopolitical contexts’ or ‘reading between the lines.’ There is only one question, and that is: how can a country that supposedly swears by the anti-fascist struggle vote against a document that clearly condemns the glorification of Hitler and fascism?” the NGO asked.
They stated that the resolution explicitly condemns the glorification of Nazism, the revision of history, the resurrection of ideologies that led to the Holocaust, racism, xenophobia and hatred, and calls for the protection of the truth about World War II. They added that Montenegro has now, “due to political calculation and the fact that it (the resolution) was proposed by Russia,” decided to stand against the very essence of its anti-fascist identity.
"The text of the UN resolution expresses serious concern about the campaign against monuments to liberators and fighters against Nazism, which continues in some countries... The resolution condemns practices such as erecting monuments or renaming streets after people who collaborated with the Nazis, as well as torchlight marches by neo-Nazis and radical nationalists. The document specifically states that it is unacceptable to declare people who fought against the anti-Hitler coalition as 'national heroes'...", say the Antifascists of Cetinje.
They said that they know what aggression against Ukraine means, but that voting against condemning Nazism is not a question of stance towards Russia, but a direct stance against anti-fascism.
"The vote that humiliates the partisans in the name of other people's global games shows that the current government considers anti-fascism a consumable commodity, exchangeable for political points. But every government passes, and anti-fascism remains. For us, it has never been and will never be a matter of political marketing, but a matter of honor," concluded the Antifascists of Cetinje.
Pantelić: Russian play
Novinar Željko Pantelić He told "Vijesti" that Montenegro not only did not make a mistake, but "completely correctly followed the joint decision of European countries that saw through Moscow's intentions and did not want to participate in the Russian drama."
"The ruling majority has made enough wrong moves or missed opportunities to do something, and therefore could or has been criticized, but attacking it for its correct decision not to fall for Russian propaganda tricks and to stand by its allies in the EU and NATO - taps into the distortions of the Montenegrin political scene in which black-and-white images are persistently being constructed," he assessed.
Pantelić said that the Russian Federation's initiative at the UN is a classic example of the misuse of terms for political purposes.
"For the Kremlin regime, Nazis and neo-Nazis are all those who fight for democracy, the rule of law, human rights and freedoms, and the protection of all minorities, from ethnic and religious to sexual," he said, adding that for Moscow, neo-Nazis are the leaders of the EU, NATO, and the leaders of leading European countries who are helping Ukraine defend itself from the Russian invasion.
He notes that for the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and “his megaphones” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky - Nazi, and the government in Kiev - neo-Nazi.
"As in Orwellian novels, the Russian regime has turned everything upside down: peace is war, freedom is slavery, and democracy is Nazism. Also, in Russia itself, the ideologists of the so-called national-bolshevism, which mixes elements of Nazism, fascism, and communism, are very listened to in the Kremlin,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
Pantelić assessed that when Russians say they are fighting neo-Nazism, they are not referring to dictatorial, nationalist, totalitarian regimes, but to the EU, Ukraine, and the West in general.
"I will remind you that in Russia for a long time, until the uprising Prigozhin (Yevgeny), the striking fist of the regime in Moscow was the paramilitary unit 'Wagner', named after the famous German composer, but not because its founders were fans of Valkyrie, Tristan and Isolde or Tannhäuser, but because Wagner was Adolf Hitler's favorite composer," Pantelić concludes.
Neo-Nazism as an excuse to justify territorial aggression
The EU missions to the UN also explained why they voted against the resolution in a written document they sent on November 15. They quoted the words of University of California (UCLA) law professor Tendayi Achiuma, a Zambian-born UN special rapporteur.
“The Special Rapporteur notes with concern that the Russian Federation has attempted to justify its military invasion and territorial aggression against Ukraine by the alleged need to eliminate neo-Nazism... The use of neo-Nazism as a pretext to justify territorial aggression seriously undermines genuine attempts to combat neo-Nazism...”
They called on all member states to join them in voting for amendment L.56 which reads: “Notes with concern that the Russian Federation has sought to justify its territorial aggression against Ukraine on the alleged grounds of eliminating neo-Nazism, and underlines that the pretextual use of neo-Nazism to justify territorial aggression seriously undermines genuine efforts to combat neo-Nazism.”
The EU statement also stated that candidate countries for membership, such as Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Georgia, are aligned with this position.
Russia's UN ambassador, Grigory Lukyanetsev, said his country did not support the proposed amendment, urging other delegations to vote against it.
"It represents an attempt to politicize the issues addressed by the draft resolution, instead of a genuine effort to identify solutions to existing problems. Moreover, this proposal is not a substantive amendment in terms of UN methods and practices, but an open procedural trick and provocation," he said, adding that it is a thematic resolution that does not contain references to any country or group of states, and that it is aimed at dialogue and cooperation.
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