Zirojević: Krapović informed the Committee that he is only available to attend the session for two days in May

Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović, ahead of the scheduled session of the Committee on Security and Defense, which is supposed to discuss the Information on the Situation in the Army of Montenegro, informed the Committee that he is only available to attend the session on two dates during May.

This was said by the Chairman of the Committee, Nikola Zirojević, reacting to Krapović's allegations that the way tomorrow's session of that parliamentary body was scheduled violated the practice of checking the minister's availability in communication between the committee and the ministry and agreeing on a date that allows for the responsible presence of all participants.

"When we talk about the "correctness" of scheduling the session, it is indicative that the department and the minister refer to "good practice" and, in anticipation of scheduling the aforementioned session, informed the Committee about the dates when they were available in the following way - throughout May of this year, Dragan Krapović informed the Committee that he was available on May 6, and on May 25, in red letters," said Zirojević.

As he stated, during the entire month, which has 31 days, Krapović would "give them his presence in only two appointments."

"Despite the heroic effort to schedule a Committee session where he would provide all the answers, when the session was scheduled, Krapović, following the example of his son-in-law who has been receiving his salary for seven months and has not come to work, also opened a sick leave without remittances. Now he is whining and moaning in the Montenegrin media that the session was incorrectly scheduled," said Zirojević.

He said that he was not aware that Montenegro was in a state of emergency or war, so that the minister was unable to respond to the committee's invitation for an entire month.

He reminded Krapović that, according to the Constitution of Montenegro, in the hierarchy of state bodies, the Parliament is above the Government and that this Parliament elected him, not he the Parliament or the Committee.

"While, unfortunately for them, I will still chair this committee for a while, because they put dangerous pressure on them to elect a new chairwoman, it will be clear where everyone belongs and the Committee will not adapt to them, but rather they will adapt to the Committee. When I return to the position of deputy chairwoman, or when you elect a chairwoman - good luck, do as you think is right," Zirojević emphasized.

As he said, in anticipation of the Committee session, he expected and still expects obstructions in the form of a lack of a quorum for the session.

"Krapović's reaction, in a way, announces such action. But the essence is clear - political cowards will use every means and every opportunity to escape from a debate in which they are predetermined losers," said Zirojević.

He concluded that Krapović "will be given a dishonorable discharge from the defense department very soon by the citizens of Montenegro, after which the department will breathe a sigh of relief."