Vujović believes that Vuković is a prolific writer, and in Raonic's case, that court decisions must be respected.

Despite all the controversies, Minister of Culture and Media Tamara Vujović believes that the winner of the Thirteenth of July Award, Bećir Vuković, is a prolific writer and that the claim that he does not recognize the Montenegrin nation is unfounded because, she says, he received the highest recognition precisely from the state of Montenegro.

In an interview with Television Vijesti, Vujović also said that the decisions of the court, which has repeatedly ruled that Boris Raonić was illegally elected as the general director of Radio and Television of Montenegro, should be respected.

When asked what she sees as the greatest success of her department in the fields of culture and media, she replied:

"A completely new competition line called Backpack Full of Culture, where we will enable children from primary and secondary schools living in rural areas to have regular access to cultural content through their schools or cultural centers. We have significantly increased the Media Pluralism Fund, so we have distributed 1,2 million euros for non-commercial print media and online publications."

The year behind us, when we talk about erecting monuments that require permission from your ministry, was marked by the saga of erecting a monument to Chetnik duke Pavle Đurišić. Do you even know where it is at this moment and are you interested in it?

"Our inspectors followed up on media reports in the dormitory and in the church, where they did not determine the existence of this statue, so, essentially, as far as we are concerned, our jurisdiction ended there."

Do you still think that the competent inspection for cultural property and other competent authorities could have acted more proactively in this case to avoid the erection of the monument, and now its concealment?

"We did our job absolutely in accordance with the law and in accordance with the rules of the inspection service. If some new circumstance arose, if someone saw something in a cultural property in a public place, and so on. Of course, upon learning of this, the inspectors would come out again to determine whether this was the case and to complete the procedure.

Do you think that it is in line with European standards that the head of this media outlet, which is financed, I will remind you, from the budget of all citizens, is Boris Raonić, for whom several court rulings have confirmed that he was illegally elected to that position?

"Radio-Television of Montenegro looks much more modern, has a much more diverse program content, numerous shows, and that is certainly something that should be supported and congratulated. Radio-Television of Montenegro is not just one man. I always stand by the position that court decisions should be respected and that we hope that some epilogue to this situation with the director of Radio-Television of Montenegro will soon occur.

What kind of epilogue do you expect?

"I expect that the final verdict will simply be respected."

How do you assess the general environment and conditions in which Montenegrin journalists work today? Do you think that their safety, as well as the conditions in which they work, have improved?

"We appeal to you to negotiate with your employers for the best possible conditions, but that is a matter of your direct negotiations. Media pluralism exists and media freedom absolutely exists in Montenegro."

Since you are the head of the department that is also responsible for culture, do you think that Bećir Vuković deserves the Thirteenth of July Award, if we are not sure whether his book was even published in Montenegro in 2024, because we have serious evidence that it was forged, and the Prosecutor's Office is dealing with that case?

"Whether and who would receive the award was solely the responsibility of the jury in this case."

Do you think that Bećir Vuković is worthy of the Thirteenth of July Award, considering that he is a person who denies the existence of the Montenegrin nation, and after the award ceremony, we saw a video where he takes the phone from a fellow citizen in a store in Mojkovac and puts it in his pocket. Do you see anything controversial there?

"Now we are only talking about the work, we are not talking about anything on the side, I will say that Bećir Vuković has 61 cataloguing records in the National Library of Montenegro. So, we are certainly talking about a prolific writer. He is a man who received the highest Montenegrin award with great pride. So I would say that the claim that he does not recognize Montenegro is not true, then he would not recognize its award, the highest award that can be awarded to a citizen of Montenegro."

Why didn't you propose Dragica Lompar for a new term as head of the National Library of Đurđe Crnojević? Was it because she pointed out, with arguments and evidence, that Bećir Vuković's book was forged?

"I found her when I arrived at this position and she did her job for a full two and a half years during the mandate of this government, until her mandate expired a few months after that. The same thing happened with the director of the Music Center. It's about a complete assessment of someone's performance."

In the end, Ivan Radulović was elected as the new director. What do you recommend for him for the position since Ms. Lompar claims that he does not meet the requirements and was elected illegally?

"This is not an illegal appointment. This is about a man who is a doctoral student in historical sciences, who was an associate of the Historical Institute and who has a name in the field of cultural heritage, and I expect that he will bring new energy, that only good things and good results will come to us from the 'Đurđe Crnojević' National Library."