MANS: Abazović's statement is part of the discourse that we felt had no place after 30 years of DPS rule

Yesterday's statement by the Vice-President of the Government of Montenegro, Dritan Abazović, that in addition to politicians, the mafia and criminals, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are among those who stand as an obstacle on the European path of Montenegro, is part of the public discourse of the leading politicians, which we believed that, after the thirty-year rule of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) no longer has a place on the public stage, the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS) announced today.

Abazović said yesterday that Montenegro can reconcile because the political monopolies have disappeared and it has professional institutions, and despite the obstacles set up by politicians and NGOs, and critics and the mafia and people who want to keep Montenegro captive, it still shows that its path according to the rule of law is meaningful.

MANS added that the targeting of NGOs as a disruptive factor of democracy was something that marked a good part of the rule of the President of Montenegro and DPS leader Milo Đukanović and his party, and this type of label, they add, was the only response to public criticism of corruption and organized crime.

"And while Mr. Đukanović did not want to understand the role of non-governmental organizations due to personal and party interests, Dritan Abazović is also well aware of it, as well as the contribution that the civil sector has made so far in the process of EU integration. Nevertheless, the changes personified by Abazović brought that that, for the first time in the last thirty years, from the top of the government, we are identified with the mafia and criminals who are actively working to capture Montenegro as a state," says the MANS announcement.

They said that "such a narrative is absolutely unacceptable and cannot be part of the process of Europeanization of society, which politicians have been talking about in recent days".

"We are fully aware that the stagnation of Montenegro on the European road is obvious, but we sincerely advise Mr. Abazović to look for part of the responsibility for such a situation in front of the mirror, instead of trying to make non-governmental organizations side with the mafia and criminal clans. The fight against corruption and organized crime as a key prerequisites for the continuation of EU integration, is something that requires a huge sacrifice of the most responsible in the country, but in no scenario can it be replaced by replacing theses, targeting and cheap political marketing", MANS concluded.