The case of the Commander of the Navy of the Army of Montenegro (AVCG) Darko Vuković is an indicator that everything in Montenegro has a political background, and the conflict between the head of state Jakov Milatović and the Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović on this issue, it is not personal, but of an interest nature, which shows that they do not understand that the Army must be under civilian, not party, control.
This was told to the editorial staff by a security professor at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Donja Gorica. Mehmedin Tahirović, commenting on the events preceding and during the interrupted session of the Defense and Security Council, held the day before yesterday.
The Supreme Command session, for which several important issues were proposed for the agenda, was interrupted the day before yesterday without an official explanation, with one participant claiming that the head of state and the Council said that it would not continue until Vuković was reinstated, which his (Milatović's) advisor denied. However, the background to the events, which were supposed to be discussed at the session, is quite clear - a new conflict between Milatović and Krapović.
Ahead of the session, early the day before yesterday morning, the Ministry of Defense removed Vuković from his post and initiated disciplinary proceedings against him. This was preceded, as "Vijesti" reported, by a letter from the head of the Navy to the head of state, in which he complained that Krapović was mobbing him, that is, that his rank was not respected when entering the ministry building and the seating arrangement at meetings.
Tahirović: Milatović is interfering in Krapović's business
Tahirović, Montenegro's first national military representative in NATO's Supreme Allied Command Europe (SHAPE), said he did not understand the president's interference in matters that fall under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Defense.
"... He (Milatović) chairs the Defense and Security Council, but the competence of the Minister of Defense is to ensure the implementation of decisions on commanding the army, to make decisions on the use of the Army and to propose to the Council the appointment and dismissal of the Chief of General Staff, proposals for the appointment and dismissal of officers...", he told "Vijesti".
He noted that in this, as in the previous case (of the former Chief of the General Staff Zoran Lazarevic), believes that Milatović did not have the right to communicate directly with members of the Army. He emphasized that it is understood that the head of state has the right to share his opinion and stance on an officer whom he thinks is better for a certain position or function, but that according to the Law on the Armed Forces of Montenegro - this is the competence of the minister.
Tahirović emphasized that he believes that in this specific case, Vuković made a mistake, because he "skipped certain competencies according to functional duties in the Army and the Ministry", saying that first, if he was not satisfied with a certain status, he had to exhaust all possible mechanisms.
"... His complaint first goes to the Chief of the General Staff, with whom he is obliged to immediately inform the Minister of Defense. So if the Chief of the General Staff does not respond adequately in his opinion, then he reports to the Minister of Defense to make a decision on his complaint in that case. He has not exhausted that," the interlocutor underlined.
He noted that there are also commissions for complaints and appeals, which Vuković also skipped, and that in that case too there are certain procedures, which are clearly defined by law.
"He skipped that and the fact is that he violated the system of subordination and single-command. That is my position," Tahirović stated.
In his letter to the president, Vuković stated that Krapović would not allow him to enter the Ministry of Defense building in Podgorica through the main entrance, where some officers with a lower rank than him also enter, but through the official entrance on the other side, where all visitors are "searched" by military police.
"Vijesti" sources claim that the Chief of General Staff Miodrag Vuksanović requested that Krapović reconsider his decision on the regime for entering the building, but that the minister refused.
According to the newspaper's interlocutor who attended the Supreme Command session, Krapović asked Vuković if he had ever approached him about a problem he was having with the ministry, to which he received a negative answer. Milatović allegedly stated that the Minister of Defense was an "administrative person", and Krapović replied that he was a politician who answered to the Prime Minister and the Parliament that elected him.
One of the participants in the session told the newspaper that no decision was made on the adoption of its agenda. Milatović allegedly rejected the prime minister's proposal. Milojko Spajić to discuss the Vuković case and the controversial appointment of the president Milan Bigović for the acting head of the military intelligence service is discussed under the item "miscellaneous", after which a controversy about Vuković followed.
Third member of the supreme command (apart from the president and prime minister), head of parliament Andrija Mandic, did not, the source claims, comment on the proposed agenda "in any particular way."
An army rivaling those in power
The army has often been the subject of disagreement between politicians. The first conflict between Milatović and Krapović began after the minister, at the end of August last year, submitted a request to the Supreme Command to dismiss the then Chief of the General Staff, Lazarević, due to the assessment that a "generational change and rejuvenation of the officer cadre" was needed.
Milatović opposed Krapović's proposal, saying that he would support the dismissal of Lazarević when he was told what the brigadier general had not done properly, or what he had done wrong. The Minister of Defense subsequently annulled the decision that extended Lazarević's term of service until June of this year, when he was eligible to retire in 2023.
However, Krapović's decision was overturned by the Government's Appeals Commission. In the end, the Council dismissed Lazarević because his term of office had expired, and a compromise was reached on the appointment of Vuksanović and Vuković.
And the case of the general's dismissal Milutin Đurović had a political background. He was appointed to that position during the government Zdravka Krivokapića, but was removed in June 2022, when the Prime Minister was Dritan Abazovic. Head of Parliament during Krivokapić's term, Aleksa Becic, then called Đurović's dismissal "an example of a primitive revanchist relationship", for which he accused Abazović and the first woman of the Parliament at that time, Danijela Đurović.
When asked why the Army is always part of political intrigues, Tahirović replied that politicians have great influence in the security and defense sector.
"Unfortunately, we had a very pronounced polarization, especially after the change of government in 2020 after 30 years of rule by the Democratic Party of Socialists and its political like-minded people. This is a long period that left a mark of domination, identifying itself with the state, and this of course took on dimensions of influence on the level of professionalism in the police and the army," he assessed.
He stated that the change of government was a "watershed moment" in the security system, and that it had a very negative impact on both the "old" and "new" structures, in terms of the functioning of the police and the army.
"... But over time, there have been personnel and other changes, a large number of retirements of both employees in the Police Administration and officers in the Army of Montenegro, and some announcements of stabilization of such a situation," the interlocutor added.
He said that it is obvious that politicians are the ones who do not understand the position of the army and police in the country, all for the sake of their own, or rather, party interests.
"... They (the army and police) should be under civilian control. Political parties are using their position and now we have 'partisanship' above the Constitution and the law in Montenegro," he said.
On the other hand, Tahirović says that police chiefs and mid- and high-ranking officers should be committed to their profession and not allow political structures to politicize them.
"However, it is obvious that many saw the benefit in that and it was easier for them to reach larger, important positions and leadership positions, and then they aligned themselves with the party both in the previous period and now," the interlocutor pointed out.
Mutual accusations
Milatović's cabinet called the decision to suspend Vuković illegal the day before yesterday, saying that it was "a continuation of Krapović's retaliation and arrogant behavior."
"Vijesti" asked the Ministry of Defense the day before yesterday whether Krapović believes that his conflict with Milatović is degrading the integrity of the Army, and what consequences it will have for it, and Vuksanović responded by saying that Vuković was removed from duty solely at his proposal and in accordance with the law.
He claims that this decision was not made at anyone's behest, under anyone's pressure, or as a result of any personal or institutional disagreements.
"Therefore, I most strongly and without any reservation deny the claims that this decision is a consequence of the alleged conflict. That is untrue. Because if that were true, then it would mean that the Chief of General Staff is acting according to political demands, and not according to the Constitution, the law and professional conscience," Vuksanović stated.
He stated that the Army is not anyone's political outpost, nor a space for pressure, blackmail, and construction, adding that it is an "institution of honor, hierarchy, and law."
"The decisions I make - I make them with a cool head, a clear conscience and with full awareness of the responsibility that the uniform I wear carries. Whoever tries to present this lawful decision as a personal showdown or a political act is not attacking me - they are attacking the principle of civil-military balance, the professional autonomy of the Army and the state itself. I will not agree to that. Never," Vuksanović underlined.
He stated in a statement yesterday that Vuković's actions recently represented a flagrant violation of the principles of subordination and single-seniority in command and the duty to execute orders, which is the reason for initiating the procedure to determine disciplinary responsibility.
According to him, Vuković carried out a series of actions aimed at directly attempting to undermine the authority of the Chief of General Staff.
On the other hand, Milatović's office told "Vijesti" that decision-makers in the defense department humiliated the Army the day before yesterday.
"... Because the Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, Vuković, was ambushed, and he was unlawfully removed from duty and stopped on the street by the Military Police and forced to leave his official vehicle," said Dejan Vukšić.
He claims that this was an attempt to prevent Vuković from performing his official duties and attending the Council session, at Milatović's invitation.
"An officer-general with 30 years of honorable service to his homeland found himself on the street, in a Montenegrin army uniform, trying to secure transportation to the venue of the Council session. This event best shows who humiliates the Army and threatens its integrity," Vukšić assessed.
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