Mandić: The new Serbian response for the new times is based on equality, dialogue and the European path

The President of New Serbian Democracy and the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, said at a party rally in Berane that the "new Serbian response for the new times" implies a policy of equality, cooperation and responsibility, while preserving the Serbian identity and Montenegro's European path.

He said, as reported by the RTCG portal, that the Serbian people want to be a key factor in peace, stability and development of the country.

"Our response is not intended to make some win and others lose. It is not a policy of revenge, exclusion or humiliation of others. And least of all, it is an invitation to conflicts and difficult discussions. The new Serbian response is a policy of self-respect, cooperation and responsibility," said Mandić.

He said that this is the response of a mature historical people who want to preserve their name, their language, their Orthodox faith, their culture and their historical memory, but who at the same time want to live in peace with all other peoples and their neighbors.

Mandić said that the Serbian people are an inseparable part of Montenegro, in fact "the solid foundation of this state."

"We did not come from somewhere else. We are not guests in this country. We are not a temporary phenomenon in its history. We built this house, its churches and monasteries, its culture, its tradition, its victories and sufferings, its statehood and its memory. Our ancestors defended this land, cultivated it, buried themselves in it and left it to their children. Our generation will do the same, and therefore we rightly say: Montenegro is ours. It always has been and always will be," said Mandić.

He said that Montenegro belongs to all its citizens.

"This is the essence of our political and human message and it is the cornerstone of the new Serbian response. We demand equality for ourselves, but we recognize the same equality for everyone else. We demand respect for our name, but we also respect the name of every other person. We demand the right to speak our Serbian language and for that language to be valued among other languages ​​in a logical, correct, and fair manner, to cherish our culture, but we do not deny anyone the right to preserve their name, their tradition, and their culture," said Mandić.

He emphasized that the Serbian people in Montenegro want to be a key factor in such an agreement.

"We want to be a factor of peace, because we know how expensive conflicts are and how long their consequences remain in families and nations. We want to be a factor of stability, because without stability there are no secure jobs, no investments, no development in either the north or the south, and no certain future for our children. We want to be a factor of progress, because our goal is not for Montenegro to constantly return to old arguments, but to find solutions to all the challenges we face and to move forward. That is the new Serbian response," said Mandić.

He said that for a long time, Serbs in Montenegro were discriminated against and second-class citizens who were reserved a place to stand on the sidelines.

"We watched as the most painful decisions for us were made unilaterally, to our detriment. As our rights were discussed without our representatives. As state resources were divided and squandered, while entire communities where our people live remained neglected and doomed to disappear," said Mandić.

He added that for decades, the doors of institutions have been closed to the Serbian people simply because of our name, language, political stance, or affiliation and loyalty to the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Such a situation, he states, was not good for either the Serbian people or Montenegro.

That is why, as he said, it was important for Serbs to enter the institutions and change "the deplorable, obviously undemocratic state in which this country was."

"We entered the state administration not to oust anyone else, but to establish new democratic and European rules," he said.

Mandić said that after the change of government in 2020, the average salary doubled, and that the minimum wage was increased from 222 euros to 600 and 800 euros.

According to him, the minimum pension has been increased more than three times and now amounts to 452 euros instead of 144, while the average pension has almost doubled and now amounts to 560 euros.

"Economic progress is not complete if it is not felt by every family. The new Serbian response must therefore also be a new economic response. This means that changes must be seen and felt in the life of the ordinary person. In a full family table. In a secure salary. In a new job. In a renovated house. In a child who stays in Berane, instead of seeking happiness far from home," he said.

But, as he said, material well-being, as important as it is, is not the only measure of freedom and equality.

"A person does not live only from a salary. He lives from the right to speak his language freely and for his language to enjoy the place in society that it deserves and that belongs to it according to God's and human justice, to cherish his culture and to be proud of his ancestors. That is why the issues of the Serbian language, the traditional national flag, culture, education and historical memory are not secondary issues for us," he said.

These are, as he said, issues of basic equality.

Mandić emphasized that Montenegro wants to become a member of the European Union.

"Our obligation is to lead Montenegro towards the European Union as a reconciled, stable and democratic country. Serbian politicians and the Serbian people can and should make a crucial contribution to such a European future. I am certain that the young politicians of the New Serbian Democracy can fully compete with their colleagues from EU countries," he said.

He added that it is very important to emphasize - "the new Serbian response means and implies that we do not accept the false choice according to which we must choose between our identity and a European future."

"Our goal is a Montenegro of free, happy and rich people. It is a country worth fighting for. Montenegro was once Serbian, and it is Serbian today. And in building such a state, the Serbian people must play an important and responsible role. Not the role of a destroyer. But the role of a people who offer solutions. A people who unite, not divide. A people who know their roots, and that is why they freely look to the future," said Mandić.

The new Serbian answer for the new times, as he said, is not an ordinary sentence and not an ordinary political slogan.

"It is a new approach. To be present, strong and responsible in institutions. To seek balanced development and fair opportunities in the economy. To be persistent, calm, wise in issues of identity and to build our positions carefully, constantly increasing the number of allies. To be a reliable partner on the European path. The Serbian people want peace. The Serbian people want stability. The Serbian people want development. And most importantly - the Serbian people want equality," said Mandić, according to the RTCG portal.