Obradović: Vučić tried to cover up Serbia's failures in European integration with incidents

The editor of the daily newspaper "Vijesti" and former president of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), Vukašin Obradović, assessed that relations between Montenegro and Serbia have been seriously damaged in the last month, and that the events on the eve of the EU-Western Balkans Summit, including the case of the delay in Tivat and the return of a charter flight from Belgrade, are the result of a broader political operation aimed at covering up the failures of the SNS government in Serbia in the field of EU integration.

Speaking about relations between the two countries, Obradović said in an interview with TV Nova S that the broader context of the events that preceded the summit is being lost sight of.

"In the last month, these relations have already been seriously damaged. What we are losing sight of is what has been happening over the past month between Serbia and Montenegro. It seems to me that the incident in Tivat is just the result of a premeditated operation in the headquarters of Vučić's propagandists," the journalist said.

He recalled that around May 21, Vučić could first be heard making very harsh comments about Montenegrin independence, followed by a propaganda film by the Center for Social Stability dedicated to the referendum, and finally the controversial charter flight.

"My basic impression is that Aleksandar Vučić intended to create a cover, to cover up and hide, by causing a series of these incidents, what is crucial for the citizens of Serbia - that Serbia is far from the EU, that it has been overtaken on that path not only by Montenegro, but now also by Albania. The basic meaning of all this is that Vučić tried to hide the catastrophic performance of the SNS government when it comes to EU integration," Obradović stated.

He pointed out that the charter flight from Belgrade contained "problematic people from Ćaciland with extensive criminal records" and asked if it wouldn't be easier to organize Vučić's supporters in Montenegro.

"But all this speaks to Vučić's basic intention, to cover up what was essentially happening in Tivat, that Montenegro is progressing towards the EU, while Serbia is lagging behind. Ukraine and Moldova are also moving closer to Europe, and Serbia is at the tail end of these processes," Obradović assessed.

He said that what Vučić prepared was not the main topic in Montenegro.

"Montenegro is primarily preoccupied with the messages sent from Tivat yesterday regarding the country's European path. The main news is that it has once again been confirmed that Montenegro is the most serious candidate to become the first next EU member. Only in some places are there still discussions about what Aleksandar Vučić has prepared for us, but this is slowly turning into less important issues," said the editor of "Vijesti".