DPS: The lack of reaction from the highest Montenegrin statesmen is a consequence of fear of the reaction of official Belgrade

The lack of reaction from the highest Montenegrin statesmen regarding the events of the past few days is a consequence of fear of a reaction from official Belgrade, said the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).

The party said that the events of the past few days demonstrate that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić wants to be in the spotlight at all costs.

"Everything that has happened in the last few days - from the charter flight, to pompous statements about not wanting to be waited on by the state leadership, to alleged threats, is confirmation of Vučić's need to be the center of attention at all costs and to use cheap manipulations to distract attention from the fact that Serbia - thanks to him, is on the periphery of Europe," the DPS statement said.

They stated that all these events simultaneously raise the question of the political consistency of those structures that currently exercise power in Montenegro.

"For years, while the DPS was at the helm of the state, every attempt to point to various forms of political, media and security influence from Serbia was the subject of challenge, relativization and political attacks," the DPS statement said.

According to them, warnings that certain centers of power outside Montenegro were trying to influence internal political processes were then declared "fabrications, paranoia, and most often: an alleged attempt to cause division."

"Today, however, we are witnessing a situation in which institutions under the control of the current government and based on information from partner international services, assess that certain individuals pose a security risk to Montenegro," the statement added.

This, as stated by the DPS, only confirms the issue of external malignant political influence on the electoral processes in Montenegro.

"The organized activities of various imported interest groups and security-related groups that we have been warning about since 2016, through the so-called election battles for Nikšić and Budva, were not the product of the political rhetoric of the former government, but real challenges that Montenegro has faced before," the DPS statement added.

The party stated that the almost complete silence of the highest state officials of Montenegro regarding the event, which, as they said, undoubtedly attracted the attention of the domestic and regional public, was particularly indicative.

They stated that today we are witnessing the absence of a political stance from the president of the state, the prime minister, and the head of parliament.

"While in earlier times, representatives of the current government had a ready comment on every issue concerning relations between Montenegro and Serbia, today we are witnessing unusual restraint and the absence of any political stance from Milatović, Mandić and Spajić," the statement says.

Such behavior, as stated by the DPS, leaves the impression that state interests and the need to explain important security decisions to the public are being subordinated to the fear of the reaction of official Belgrade and Vučić.

"This is a devastating picture of the political independence of those who promised citizens that they would lead independent and responsible state policy," the statement concludes.