Cabinet of the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović and representatives of the Government, i.e. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MVP), are currently discussing filling several ambassadorial positions, primarily those vacant in Berlin and London, and the one in the Mission to the EU, whose head's mandate has expired - Milatović's public relations office told "Vijesti".
A source familiar with the consultations claims that the president had a candidate "with high professional references" for the Mission to the EU, but that during discussions with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was agreed that a career diplomat "with the best references" should be proposed for the position.
The Head of Mission to the EU is Petar Markovic, whose mandate expired in September last year, but has been extended three times for three months (since then).
The interlocutor claims that, after Milatović and the MFA agreed on the profile of the candidate for the Mission to the EU, the head of state's office suggested a candidate from that department who is a career diplomat and has the necessary diplomatic experience to perform the said function, but that she was allegedly not accepted.
The MFA, according to a source at "Vijesti", has allegedly proposed a diplomat who has "made significant progress since the arrival (of the Minister of Foreign Affairs)". Ervin Ibrahimović", but adds that Milatović's cabinet believes that for the position in the Mission to the EU, "currently the most important when it comes to appointments," there should be no calculation, but that the best candidate must pass.
The newspaper learned that, in addition to the candidate for Head of Mission to the EU, the Government has also proposed to Milatović candidates for ambassadors to London, Athens, Geneva, Abu Dhabi and Sarajevo.
According to the Constitution (Article 95), the President appoints and dismisses ambassadors upon the proposal of the Government and with the opinion of the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations.
The Law on Foreign Affairs (Article 63) stipulates that a maximum of 30 percent of ambassadors can be appointed politically.
Montenegro has not had ambassadors at some of the most important addresses for years, and the last appointments took place in the middle of last year.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told "Vijesti" that during Ibrahimović's mandate (from July 2024), "a significant step forward has been made towards strengthening and rounding out the diplomatic and consular network of Montenegro."
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Montenegro has ambassadors in 18 countries and six missions, consuls general in four countries (i.e. cities), and chargés d'affaires in 13 countries. As they said, ambassadorial positions are vacant in Albania, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Italy, Germany, Russia, the Holy See, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Japan.
"In a certain number of countries and international organizations, ambassadors have not currently been appointed, which is a consequence of the expiration of the mandates of previous heads of missions, as well as the dynamics of the implementation of appointment procedures," the MFA added.
Last appointments in the summer of 2025.
Milatović's public relations office told the editorial staff that the latest appointed ambassadors of Montenegro were deployed to Croatia, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Romania.
"After the presentation of their letters of credence in the summer of 2025, they took up their duties in the receiving countries," they recalled.
She was appointed as ambassador to France. Dubravka Lalović, for ambassador to Belgium Olivera Injac, for ambassador to Switzerland Marija Lakić Barfus, for the highest-ranking diplomat in the Netherlands Milisav Raspopović, while Montenegro is represented in Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania by Dejan Vuković, Đorđe Janković i Danilo Brajović.
Milatović's office says that talks began earlier this year between the president's office and representatives of the government, i.e. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on potential new staffing solutions for vacant ambassadorial positions. They confirm that special attention is being paid to "significant diplomatic destinations" such as Berlin and London, where ambassadors have not been appointed for a long time, as well as to positions where the mandates of existing heads of missions have expired - including the Mission to the EU.
"Consultations on specific proposals are underway, but at this stage, in accordance with good diplomatic practice, it is not desirable to make them public, because as is known, the consent of the receiving state is necessary for every appointment," they stated in response to questions from "Vijesti".
As they added, it is expected that in the next phases of negotiations, "adequate solutions" will be jointly defined, with a special focus on the selection of candidates who will best represent Montenegro and protect the interests of the state and its citizens.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs points out that the process of appointing ambassadors is complex because it involves the coordination of multiple institutions - that department, the Government, the Parliament, and the President of the state - while strictly respecting international procedures and protocols towards receiving countries.
"That is precisely why we insist on the quality and integrity of each candidate, aware that ambassadors are the ones who bear the greatest responsibility when it comes to representing Montenegro on the international stage," the ministry told the newspaper.
They say that the details of internal consultations, including possible discussions about specific candidates and destinations, are not subject to public announcement until the procedure is completed and official decisions are made.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assesses that successful and visible diplomacy is crucial for protecting Montenegro's interests and building a credible position in international relations.
"The ministry will continue to be fully committed to strengthening our diplomatic network, in order to make Montenegro even more present, recognizable and influential around the world," said the department headed by Ibrahimović.
Cohabitation slowed down appointments
Less than three years ago, Montenegro had ambassadors at only 11 addresses around the world, while chargés d'affaires represented it at twice as many - twenty-two. The reason for this state of the diplomatic network was the failed cohabitation, or rather - the inability of the new authorities and the then (now former) head of state and the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Milo Đukanović to agree on appointments.
Milatović, who succeeded Đukanović in office in May 2023, was also unable to find common ground with the government on ambassadorial appointments at one point. For example, at the end of March 2024, he requested additional consultations for four candidates for ambassadorial posts - in Berlin, Madrid, Athens and Moscow.
Milatović's cabinet then announced that the head of state did this "to ensure the quality filling of vacant positions...".
After the dispute, a period of thawing in relations between the head of state and the executive branch followed, and some ambassadorial positions were filled.
Montenegro has ambassadors in the USA, China, France...
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Montenegro currently has ambassadors in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Kosovo, China, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, the USA, Serbia, Slovenia, France, Croatia, Ukraine, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
At the level of permanent missions, ambassadors represent Montenegro to the EU and NATO in Brussels, to the UN in New York, to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva, to the OSCE in Vienna, as well as to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
Montenegro has consuls general in New York, Frankfurt, Istanbul and Sremski Karlovci, while it is represented at the level of chargé d'affaires ad interim in Albania, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Italy, Germany, Russia, the Holy See, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Spain and Japan.
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