Ivanovic: The question about Greenland is late, and about Cuba is premature; Knezevic: I thought you would be a bishop

Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanović said that the issue of Greenland was overdue, stating that Montenegro had already supported Denmark and the European Union (EU) regarding the US administration's announcements about possible annexation, while the issue of Cuba would be premature in that context.

Ivanovic made this announcement today in the Parliament of Montenegro, responding to a question from MP and President of the Democratic People's Party (DNP) Milan Knežević about what position Montenegro will take, given the announcements by United States President (US) Donald Trump about the possible annexation of Greenland, and whether this could speed up or slow down Montenegro's path towards the EU.

Knežević ironically said that he was asking this because "our foreign policy is so principled that all European countries look up to Montenegro," citing examples of recognizing Kosovo and supporting the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine, and imposing sanctions on Russia.

"The question remains, Mr. Ivanovic, what is the difference between Kosovo and Ukraine, or what is the difference between Serbia and Ukraine. How can Kosovo be independent, and Donetsk, Lugansk and Crimea be an integral part of Ukraine? Considering that we have made our stand on this crisis in the Middle East, it is very important for me to know who we now support in this dispute between Denmark and the European Union (EU) on the one hand, and Mr. Donald Trump on the other, because Prime Minister Spajic announced the other day that we will sign several fantastic agreements with the USA, which will confirm our partnership," Knežević stated.

He said that he would ask Ivanovic about Cuba next time, because Trump is announcing such a possibility.

Ivanovic said that the Greenland issue was overdue, while the Cuba issue, also mentioned by Knežević, would be premature. He pointed out that months have passed since the US administration announced its intention to implement certain security measures in Greenland.

"The public saw both Denmark's response, the EU's response, and Greenland's response. I think Greenland, by clearly exercising its right to self-determination, has announced that it wants to continue living in the same legal status it currently has. Montenegro supported Denmark and the EU," said Ivanovic.

Knežević then spoke about the period before 2020, when Ivanovic was not a politician.

"I thought you would be a bishop. You were so religiously stimulating and excited, that you were in some kind of biblical ecstasy. You were a child of the church, so I expected you to be one of the bishops," said Knežević.

The DNP leader also spoke about Ricky Martin's performance on Independence Day in Montenegro.

"Without a tender and without a deadline, livin la vida loca, Riki sings with all his might, when Rozga couldn't, Vlada celebrates May 21st, just so this doesn't become AI (Hey Hey)," recited, among other things, Knežević.

Ivanovic told Knežević that it was noticeable that he had been increasingly burdened with attempts to make the public laugh lately, but that he was less and less successful in doing so: "It seems to me that you are quite vague and helpless. You asked me about Greenland. You say you don't want to ask me about Cuba. You talk about condemning the attacks on the Gulf states, and then you go back 27 years and ask why we don't condemn the bombing in 1999."

Ivanovic pointed out that Knežević cannot discredit him as a man of faith who engages in philosophy.

"I don't know what you want to achieve with that. What you just said is not a poem. It's a rhyme. It turns out you're not much of a poet, but you're certainly a better poet than a politician," said Ivanovic.

The head of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) parliamentary group, Andrija Nikolić, pointed out that Ivanovic aspires to be "sultan instead of sultan" in the Europe Now Movement (PES).

"During the recent POSP session, EU officials clearly confirmed that laws passed here must first be coordinated with the European Commission (EC). It is clear to everyone that your government, by adopting the Law on the National Security Agency (ANSA) and internal affairs, has consciously acted contrary to these principles," Nikolić pointed out.

He asked Ivanovic how the government plans to secure the two-thirds majority necessary to adopt constitutional amendments.

"At a time when we are facing key constitutional changes regarding the judiciary, which require a two-thirds majority, your government has created a crisis and has been left without the capacity to form that majority in parliament. How does the government plan to ensure further progress in negotiations with the EU, if we know that you have excluded the opposition from that process and that you do not have the capacity to secure a two-thirds majority?" Nikolić asked.

Ivanovic responded that Nikolic would be smarter to watch Iznogude in his own ranks, instead of worrying about PES.

"Regarding the Law on the National Security Agency and Internal Affairs, you called them controversial, because you made them that way. As the opposition, you had the right not to vote for them, but I think your reaction was exaggerated. We heard from the EC that these laws are not harmonized in certain parts, but that this will be done. I don't know why the DPS has such a problem with these laws, what a fear they are of them," said Ivanovic.

Speaking about the two-thirds majority, he said that there is no anti-European parliamentary group in the Parliament.

"Everyone here is in favor of EU membership. Everyone said they contributed to the reforms and the adoption of laws. Are you now announcing to the entire public that DPS will not vote for something important in Chapter 23, or that when those issues come on the agenda, you will not support it?", Nikolić asked.

Nikolić then said that Ivanovic avoided a direct answer to his question.

"We have received information that you are not behaving in a European manner and that you do not need Brussels' opinion regarding certain laws, which infringe on human rights themselves and which are on the verge of constitutionality. It will not be the case that the matter here depends on the DPS and that in the end the question will be raised who is to blame. I asked if you would try to fix the problem you caused, and not shift the responsibility onto us," Nikolić pointed out.

European Union MP Boris Mugoša said that it would be much better to look at things more realistically:

"I have been in this parliament for a long time and I cannot believe that some people still resort to the narrative that nothing was right before, and that everything is fine today. I think that people who have come to the position of governing, and have such a narrative, only confirm that this role should not have been theirs, because they do not have sufficient democratic capacity or political seriousness and responsibility," Mugoša said.

He said that Ivanovic was the first to characterize the opposition as anti-European and asked why the Montenegrin opposition is European in quotation marks.

Ivanovic said that he had not heard a single member of the Government say that the people who have been in the negotiating structure for 12 years have not worked.

He said that there was serious work by experts, but that at one point the political will to continue the European path was lacking. He believes that this will weakened after the discouraging message from the then President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and further disappeared with the acceptance of a new methodology, which made the fight against corruption, organized crime and the rule of law key conditions for closing negotiation chapters.

He pointed out that the opposition in the last few months has not been European.

"I don't think it's right to interrupt sessions, bang on the chair's desk, turn off the microphone of the Minister of Justice. It's perhaps some kind of political expression inherited from when the same people who turn off the microphone of the Minister of Justice criticized the then opposition for turning off microphones and chanting in the plenum. We have an exit from the committee, the chairman has left the Committee on European Integration," said Ivanovic.

Ivanovic said that it was heard today that nothing coming from the Government would be voted on, not even the necessary change to the Constitution.

"When all of this is added up, it seems to me that the moves of most of the opposition do not contribute to Montenegro's European integration," said Ivanovic.

Mugoša said that they do not agree with the opposition on anything, only when they need voting numbers.

"What is happening today is simulating dialogue, because there is no dialogue. This is a technical phase of the process. I welcome the closing of each chapter and all credit to the EU for confirming its determination, but our homework is not to pretend to be a democracy," Mugoša said.