Officials came to the heart of NP and parked vehicles; Mrdak: However, the messages they sent should be perceived as sincere

State Secretary for Ecology Danilo Mrdak said that he was ashamed that environmental activists from the NGO "Breznica" Milorad Mitrović and Huesin Pajević were interrogated for their performance on the plateau near the Black Lake in Žabljak, a few minutes before the start of the special session of the Parliament of Montenegro dedicated to the jubilee - 30 the year of the declaration of Montenegro as an ecological state.

"I'm ashamed that this happened and I couldn't believe it. I'm really ashamed. When I heard that they were arrested, I said I couldn't understand it," said Mrdak tonight in the Reflektor show on Television Vijesti.

Mitrović and Pajević, dressed in white overalls and wearing gas masks, used a hand-held air horn three times to express their dissatisfaction with the state of ecology and spread a banner that read "30 years later, and we're just at the beginning."

"We met and I exchanged a few sentences with my colleague Mitrović. I saw and read the banner and I told the living truth," said Mitrović.

When asked whether the representatives of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism walked or drove to the Black Lake, he answered:

"We from the Ministry of Ecology were in an electric car. We are trying not to be hypocrites, telling one story on television, but doing a whole tenth".

When asked by the editor of the show, Aleksandra Mudreša, whether a 300-meter walk is too much of a challenge for most and whether he saw all the vehicles parked in the heart of the National Park, he stated:

"They didn't see, but commented and knew what would happen. This is the image we will see in the media in two days," said Mrdak.

The executive director of the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds, Jovana Janjušević, said that the footage from the Black Lake "is a picture and opportunity of the ecological state and the ecological awareness of those who need to bring our country to justice."

To that, Mrdak asked Janjušević "who should make these people aware, you or me or together."

"Together," answered Janjušević.

"Then you and I both fell short," replied Mrdak.

Biologist Vuk Iković from the KOD organization warned Mrdak that he is still the first person in the country in charge of ecology and that he should not "pass the ball" to the NGO sector.

"I accepted this not because it is easy, but because it is difficult".

When asked who allowed all the vehicles to enter the heart of the national park, Mrdak answered:

"I did not take part in determining who is allowed, who is not allowed and what it will look like".

To the statement "that no one is allowed except for delivery vehicles, because it is the first protection zone", he replied:

"Let's be honest and not be disgusted by these things".

When asked how citizens should experience the messages that were heard from people who came to the heart of the national park by vehicle, Mrdak answered:

"I think they should be seen as sincere. I don't believe it was done on purpose. I think this is just a common practice that exists and we should point out that it should be changed," said Mrdak.