Sinister politics, personal frustrations, ruling troubles: Serbian President turns to Montenegro again

Statements by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić on the eve of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the restoration of Montenegro's independence should not be surprising, given that such politicians, who are in the final stages of their rule, always find stories about identity, traitors and enemies - both internal and external - useful. It has long been the manner of the Serbian head of state to address the Serbian public with harsh words on international topics, and recently he has narrowed that spectrum to his own electorate.

Thus, the interlocutors of "Vijesti" comment on Vučić's messages - that he will not attend the "glamorous celebration of Montenegro's secession" from Serbia, and then his author's text on a Montenegrin portal, close to the regime in Belgrade, in which he "apologized" to Montenegro: "For loving you more than you loved us."

The President of Serbia said on Thursday that he had received an invitation to attend the Independence Day celebrations, but that he would be "ashamed" to attend the celebration, and that he would be "spitting in the face of himself and his people", saying that May 21st is actually celebrating "secession from Serbia".

A day later, in an article that was first called "an address to the citizens of Montenegro," and immediately after publication, the author's text was added to it, he said that he had to address it because "he was crucified in almost all Montenegrin media."

In the text, Vučić denied that Serbia was interfering in the internal affairs of Montenegro, stating that Belgrade had not threatened Montenegrin territorial integrity - but that Podgorica had done this to Serbia by recognizing Kosovo, and that he wished Montenegro every success, with the message - "Long live the friendship between Serbia and Montenegro."

"We don't mind that you talk about our interference in your internal affairs every day, and you don't deal with anything else in the public space, except Serbia. I believe it is not necessary for me to remind you that you have talked more about the Jovanjica case, deceiving and lying to your own public, every day, than you have written about the crimes of the two largest criminal clans on European soil, the Kavači and the Škaljari, because, I guess, Kavači and Škaljari are villages in the vicinity of Kragujevac, not Kotor," Vučić wrote, among other things.

From the office of the head of state Jakov Milatović They did not answer the editorial staff's question about Milatović's view of Vučić's address, while the Government remained silent on the question of whether the executive branch was the one that invited the Serbian President to the Independence Day celebration.

The last twitches

Editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine "Monitor" Milena Perović She told "Vijesti" that Vučić's statements on the eve of the Independence Day celebration were not surprising, given the internal situation in Serbia and his "desperate need" to maintain his authoritarian rule for as long as possible.

She assessed that identities, traitors and enemies, internal and external, "always come in handy for dictators in such situations", but that, fortunately, they are also usually a sign that these are the final stages of their "omnipotence".

"On the other hand, Vučić's obvious concern is the increasingly clear messages from Brussels about the great chances that Montenegro will soon become the next member of the European Union (EU). Behind these messages, admittedly, the geopolitical reasons for the need for EU enlargement are in the first place, but for the Serbian president that does not change the matter. He wants the region in the dark, with his own hand on the switch," Perović concluded.

She pointed out that, in the end, Vučić's statements are only a confirmation of his long-standing clear policy - the "Serbian world".

"In his address to the citizens of Montenegro - which is quite unusual for a president to address the citizens of another country - he almost pathetically says: 'Sorry that we loved you more than you loved us'. Unfortunately, behind such pathos lies a sinister policy, of which Vučić is just one of the representatives. The one that brought the wars of the 1990s in the republics of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Because the Belgrade authorities 'loved' them too much," the interviewee said.

Vučić has had conflicting messages about Montenegro and its independence in the past - some of them sounded as if Serbia had territorial claims towards Podgorica, while others resembled the words of a statesman who respects the referendum decision made by Montenegrin citizens in 2006.

Thus, in September 2022, speaking in the Serbian parliament, he recalled “Serbia’s failures,” saying that Montenegro became independent “thanks to our indolence and inaction,” and that Kosovo did the same two years later. However, in May 2021, he stated that Serbia respects Montenegro’s independence and wishes it success, and he had a similar message a year earlier.

In December 2019, Vučić said that he was certain that when Montenegro regained its independence, the situation would have been different if he, then a still "unreformed" radical, had been in power.

The legacy of radical ideology

Journalist at the Belgrade weekly "Radar" Vera Didanović, assessed for "Vijesti" that Vučić's manner has long been to address, in harsh words on international topics, the Serbian public. She also adds that these addresses, since Vučić's speech in December 2024, after the fall of the Novi Sad canopy, have visibly gone downhill in various aspects of governance - narrowed to his own electorate, which he is trying to retain.

"He almost no longer tries to address the citizens of Serbia who do not support him, which is why his appearances are less and less pretense of democracy and tolerance, and more and more messages that fit completely into his original, radical image," emphasized Didanović.

She said that it is clear that the independence of Montenegro does not fit into the radical ideology, and that an additional problem is the fact that Montenegro is recognized as the country with the greatest chances of joining the EU, unlike Serbia, whose European path, according to her, has been obviously, although not formally, stopped thanks to progressive politics.

Didanović stated that the statement about not attending the celebration of the anniversary of Montenegro's independence was therefore the result of a combination of two factors - the need to preserve the electorate, which is largely radical, but also personal frustration due to the obviously changed attitude of European countries, which no longer run away from the truth about Serbia's regression in numerous areas, as a key result of his rule.

"The subsequent open letter in which he softens the initial rhetoric also fits in with the passive-aggressive behavior that the Serbian president has been demonstrating to us for months: after he goes particularly overboard with insults (primarily towards someone outside), he does damage control through some of the media outlets close to him," the interviewee points out, adding that in Serbia this is most often a television appearance, so that one day he speaks like the best student. Vojislav Seselj on the “uncensored TV Informer”, and then appears in a far more moderate edition on the “more refined RTS”.

Didanović noted that in the case of insulting Montenegro, Vučić applied the same method, only adapted to the circumstances, so instead of a television appearance according to his wishes and rules, an author's text appeared. She stated that the text was also carried by Serbian media, so it is clear that the messages are addressed to both the Montenegrin and domestic public, because there are people in his electorate for whom insults against Montenegro are unacceptable.

"The message is probably also intended for Western observers, in whose eyes he is trying to improve his reputation," she said.

Reactions

The Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MVP) reacted to Vučić's messages, saying that it was unacceptable to present the anniversary of the restoration of Montenegrin independence as an act directed against Serbia. The MVP said that they were particularly concerned about the continuity of the narrative that denies or attempts to relativize Montenegrin statehood, while simultaneously promoting messages that incite division and underestimate the democratic choice of the citizens of Montenegro.

The institution he manages Ervin Ibrahimovic received a response from the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which claimed that the Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not contributing to good neighborly relations, and that Vučić had expressed "a completely legitimate and in no way offensive position, that he did not want to celebrate the separation of two close and fraternal states."

The Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responding to these statements, said that it is high time that the political discourse in the region be freed from the narrative of the alleged threat to anyone in Montenegro.

"Montenegro is a civil, multiethnic and multireligious state in which the rights of all citizens are protected by the Constitution and laws, according to the highest European standards," they stated.

Member of the Democratic People's Party Milan Knezevic, who is considered close to Vučić, assessed that the coming period will show whether there will be political changes in Montenegro and a different approach towards Serbia. He, appearing on Radio and Television of Serbia, said that the Montenegrin MFA's reaction is "an expression of frustration and burden with both Serbia and Aleksandar Vučić."

Knežević's colleague from the opposition benches, MP from the Democratic Party of Socialists Andrija Nikolić, he said that while Vučić disputes the meaning of May 21st, the highest state officials are silent.

"Montenegro has restored its international legal subjectivity democratically, peacefully and Europeanly. Montenegro will also survive the current government, most of which fought against its independence, as well as the nostalgia of officials from the neighboring country who have never come to terms with that fact," Nikolić said.

Didanović: A man who is swaying needs every support

Speaking about Vučić's address to the citizens of Montenegro, Vera Didanović said that Vučić, even before returning to "radical adjustments", was trying to present himself as a regional leader, and especially as the leader of all Serbs in the region, a kind of "father of the nation" who lives in several different countries.

"This is an important part of his image domestically, but it has been increasingly difficult for him to do so lately, most visibly in his relations with Serbs in Croatia. Ruining his reputation among the citizens of Montenegro, even regardless of nationality, is completely unnecessary for a man who has to resolve a new crisis almost every day, for the outbreak of which he is, ultimately, most often personally responsible," she assessed.

She said that "a man who is swaying", even slightly, needs every support, and any means that could provide that support seems acceptable.