Babić Galić on Milatović's statement: Invoking rhetoric from a time when territorial aspirations were accompanied by the clang of tanks

The statement that Cape Oštro belongs to Montenegro is understandably seen as a step backwards because it evokes rhetoric from a time when Montenegro's territorial aspirations towards the Croatian south were accompanied by the clang of tanks, said Vanda Babić Galić, special advisor to Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman.

"Expecting Croatia's support for the path towards membership in the European Union (EU), while at the same time claiming Croatian state territory, is at the very least in contradiction with European values ​​and thus does not contribute to Montenegro's European path," said Babić Galić in an interview with the newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija.

Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović said in early June that he believes that Cape Oštro on the Prevlaka peninsula should belong to Montenegro in negotiations with Croatia over the demarcation because that way the entrance to the Bay of Kotor is protected.

According to the Interim Protocol on Prevlaka from 2002, this cape with the 19th-century Austro-Hungarian fortress of the same name is part of Croatia, while the sea is under a temporary regime shared by Montenegro and Croatia.

Babić Galić said in an interview that the EU-Western Balkans Summit held in Tivat on June 5th showed that the European Union (EU) has not given up on its enlargement policy.

"The key message to the countries of the Western Balkans is that the door is no longer closed, but the ticket is based solely on achieved results and reforms. For Montenegro, the message is very clear, for the first time in a long time, membership is not an abstract perspective, but an achievable political goal. As for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Croatia is a strong advocate of enlargement and in this context we are particularly concerned about the European perspective of neighboring BiH. This issue is crucial for the stability of Southeast Europe. Despite the complexity and challenges of the enlargement process, we consider it necessary to continue to actively address this issue and keep it high on the EU agenda in further discussions, as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia did on Monday by going to Sarajevo and signing the agreement on border crossings that bring BiH even closer to Croatia, and thus to the EU," said Babić Galić.

She said that for Serbia, the message is perhaps the most important.

"The policy of sitting on two chairs has its expiration date. Brussels is no longer willing to tolerate the avoidance of strategic commitment. Vučić's foreign policy of balancing has suffered a total collapse. However, the incident with the charter flight of suspicious individuals from the SNS has further reminded us that the Western Balkans is still an area where Serbian political influence crosses borders more easily than European values," said Babić Galić.

Slobodna Dalmacija: Can it be said that there have been positive developments in relations between Croatia and Montenegro in the last year?

Babić Galić: Croatia openly advocates Montenegro's European path. At the same time, Podgorica is showing a greater willingness to talk about open issues than it was a few years ago. However, willingness to talk is not the same as a solution being reached. Open issues – from war legacy, missing persons, compensation payments to concentration camp inmates, changing the name of the swimming pool, the security of the memorial plaque in Morinje to the property seized from the Croats of Boka and border disputes – will not disappear on their own. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has clearly outlined them in eight points, and now is the time to close them.

The first Chetnik of the European Union

Slobodna Dalmacija: How do you interpret the realignment on the political scene in Montenegro? The President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, who was awarded the title of Chetnik Duke by Duke Mile Rakočević, a man who was declared persona non grata by Croatia, who loudly advocated for his country's exit from the Atlantic Alliance, is now explaining to foreign politicians that 75 percent of Montenegrin citizens are in favor of joining the EU. In addition, he is very carefully, but visibly, moving away from the policies of Aleksandar Vučić, whom we were convinced was his mentor.

Babić Galić: The former divisions between pro-Western and pro-Serbian blocs are gradually giving way to a division between those who want to participate in the European project and those who remain bound to the patterns of the past that have tarnished the Montenegrin name. Andrija Mandić understands political mathematics very well.

If three-quarters of citizens are in favor of EU membership, then it is politically irrational to remain in positions that lead to isolation. This does not mean that he has changed his political views, but rather that he has adapted to the new circumstances. At the same time, it is evident that part of the Montenegrin political elite is gradually emancipating itself from the so-called Serbian world, which can only help their further path towards the EU.

Slobodna Dalmacija: Jakov Milatović, the president of Montenegro, who emerged from the Europe Now Movement, recently said that, for security reasons, Prevlaka (Rt Oštro) should belong to Montenegro. It was precisely the redrawing of borders, 'correcting the mistakes of trained communist cartographers' (a quote from former president Milo Đukanović) that was one of the key reasons for Montenegro's participation in the Serbian aggression against Croatia. How do you interpret the re-introduction of Prevlaka among the open issues?

Babić Galić: According to the dominant interpretation of international law, it is important to distinguish between the land area of ​​Prevlaka and the demarcation at sea. Prevlaka as a peninsula, or mainland, is not an open issue. The land border was established at the time of the collapse of the SFRY, by applying the principle of "uti possidetis juris", according to which the republican borders became international state borders. Cape Oštro and the entire Prevlaka are part of the Republic of Croatia. This has been confirmed through the long-standing regime of temporary demilitarization and later bilateral arrangements between Croatia and the then FRY, or Montenegro.

The open question concerns the delimitation at sea in the area of ​​the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, or rather the determination of the delimitation line of the territorial sea and the associated sea belts. This is precisely why we are talking about a "border issue at sea", and not about the territorial dispute over Prevlaka itself. Therefore, I would be cautious in the question with a formulation such as "some issues remain open, including the border dispute in the area of ​​Prevlaka...", as it may suggest that the status of the peninsula itself is disputed.

It would be more accurate to say that some issues remain open, including the issue of maritime demarcation at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor.

Also, when commenting on President Jakov Milatović's statements about Prevlaka, it should be kept in mind that they do not necessarily mean that Montenegro has officially opened the issue of the land border. Therefore, it is more professional and precise to say that Prevlaka is not an open territorial issue, but an open issue of maritime demarcation between Croatia and Montenegro. Any other interpretation may cause concern among the Croatian public.

Milatović in contradiction

Slobodna Dalmacija: But the man said what he said...?

Babić Galić: The statement that Cape Oštro belongs to Montenegro is understandably seen as a step backwards, as it evokes rhetoric from a time when Montenegro's territorial aspirations towards the Croatian south were accompanied by the clang of tanks. Expecting Croatia's support for the path towards EU membership, while simultaneously claiming Croatian state territory, is at the very least in contradiction with European values ​​and thus does not contribute to Montenegro's European path.

Slobodna Dalmacija: How do you interpret the announcement that Montenegro has formed a team to discuss the training ship "Jadran"?

Babić Galić: We want to hear their international law experts and legal arguments. Croatia's position is clear. The training ship "Jadran" is an integral part of the successional military mass of the former SFRY. As a training asset of the former Naval Training Center, it was based in Croatia, in Split. According to the basing principle in the early 90s, with the collapse of multinational socialist states in Eastern Europe, military property was shared, for example, by the Czechs and Slovaks, Ukrainians and Russians, with additional division arrangements based on agreement.

Tivat was never the base port of the "Jadran". If it had not been for the war aggression of Serbia and Montenegro, the "Jadran" would today be in Split, in its port. The ship was designed by the Croatian engineer Jozo Škarica, who incorporated into the ship the most beautiful of a thousand years of Croatian shipbuilding. Contrary to Belgrade's policy of neglecting the sea during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Nikola Pašić's disparaging message to the Croats: "The sea? What is it? Can it be plowed?", the construction of the "Jadran" was initiated by the association "Jadranska straža" from Split, which was founded by Croats, prominent Split residents, whose initial financial resources were decisive. If it had not been for the "Jadranska straža", there would have been no "Jadran".

It would be beneficial for Montenegro if the "Adriatic" issue were finally resolved in accordance with the rules of international law and the principles of good relations with its first western EU and NATO neighbor. That would be an exceptional message of goodwill towards the Croatian and European public.