"We received good news," said Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović. The news that we have finally closed five more negotiation chapters. However, the fact that until a few days ago, as Milatović says, we were facing a disaster due to the possibility of France blocking two chapters is, he points out, the result of our government's irresponsible attitude, from which we need to learn.
"If we want to successfully lead European integration and finally become the 28th EU member state by 2028, we certainly cannot do it from the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia. We have to do it in Brussels, in Paris," Milatović stressed.
The phones to Paris were ringing last weekend, but the question is whose call did the French president pick up – the prime minister or the president of Montenegro? Milatović says he answered it. He told reporters the chronology of events.
"On Friday afternoon, the Minister of European Integration, Mrs. Maida Gorčević, called me and asked me, in the context of a very serious, difficult situation the country found itself in at that moment, the French blockade, to establish direct communication with the President of France. I asked if anyone from the Government could do that, and she explained to me that, unfortunately, after many attempts, no one from the government could do it," he began the story.
The President notes that the Prime Minister was in the Emirates, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs was in Saudi Arabia, so he, he adds, took responsibility due to the state's interest and had intensive communication with Macron, and Milojko Spajić, according to him, ultimately took the cake.
"On Saturday evening around 19 pm, I received a final response from the President of France that things would be resolved this way. I immediately conveyed that message to Minister Gorčević at 19 pm. I assume that after she conveyed the message, a media spin began, primarily through the Public Service Broadcasting Service," said the head of state.
Milatović says that, however, all of that should be left behind, because moving forward will become more difficult every day, which requires responsible leadership, which neither he nor DPS have seen so far, but PES has.
"The situation that happened with the French representatives is something that can only give us a positive impulse for next year, because it is certain that this process will be based solely on merit. It is certain that we can achieve the goal we set, closing the chapter by 2026," Jovan Subotić, a PES MP, told TV Vijesti.
"We are facing a year that will be full of challenges, in which we will have to do a lot on the domestic front and where we will need a minimum of social cohesion to close the remaining negotiation chapters," said Andrija Nikolić, a DPS MP.
How does last night's new call by the President of the Parliament to change the Constitution and restore the Serbian language fit into all of this?
"Mandić knows very well that this is impossible, and that is why this is yet another political mimicry aimed at destabilizing Montenegro's European path every time the country moves closer to the European Union and in order to offer a little bread and butter to his voters," Nikolić assessed.
"Nothing new. It's simply a political situation that President Mandić lives in and advocates for. Every topic is always politically active and every topic will come on the agenda in its own time," said Subotić.
"Everything that the Speaker of the Parliament Mandić says, I assume is said on behalf of the entire parliamentary majority," Milatović pointed out.
As a reminder, Mandić said that the current Constitution does not reflect the real state of society and that Montenegro still faces "historical challenges" - between dignity and a European perspective. In order to follow it to the end, we still have 21 chapters to close by the end of next year.
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