After Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimović stated that Montenegro will give clear support when the question arises whether Kosovo should join the European Union or the Council of Europe, his colleague, Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanović, responded by saying that this topic was unnecessarily raised and that Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe should only be considered once the membership criteria are met.
“This is a logical statement from Deputy Prime Minister Ivanović, who represents a policy aligned with the Serbian and church agenda regarding Kosovo”, said DPS MP Aleksandra Vuković Kuč in a comment for Antena M.
She believes this statement shows that the government lacks a unified and consistent foreign policy.
“We need to ask Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and President Jakov Milatović which foreign policy doctrine they support, the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ or the Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs’? In light of the Venice Commission’s recent opinion criticizing Montenegro’s Constitution violations and the procedures related to the retirement of a Constitutional Court judge, which viewed the ruling majority’s behavior negatively, I recall Deputy Prime Minister Ivanović’s recent stance. He blamed the opposition for destabilizing parliament and trying to make Montenegro institutionally dysfunctional, seeing no problem with the government’s actions. On the contrary, that reflects the relevance of his views”, the DPS MP said.
Vuković Kuč expressed confidence that Deputy Prime Minister Ivanović will change his position on Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe and Montenegro’s support for it, just as he did regarding Montenegro’s NATO membership.
“You know that before joining the ruling list, he wrote that NATO was not in our interest and was a strong opponent of our membership in this military-political organization, which is vital for Montenegro. This is a government where anything goes. That’s why our relations with all regional countries have deteriorated. If we don’t slavishly follow the interests of other countries, we get reprimanded, like the recent reaction from Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The foreign minister takes one position, the deputy prime minister another. This shows the hypocrisy of a government with no backbone, unwilling to follow the national interest”, Vuković Kuč emphasized.
The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reacted to Ibrahimović’s statement. Led by Marko Đurić, the ministry said in a statement that Montenegro’s expressions of support for Kosovo’s independence only worsen regional tensions and do not contribute to stability in the Western Balkans. They called on all neighboring countries “to refrain from statements and actions that could escalate tensions and to work on building mutual trust and cooperation.”
Montenegro’s ministry responded by rejecting these unsubstantiated claims and expressed additional concern over attempts to label support for Kosovo’s membership in international organizations as “anti-Serbian actions”.
“Montenegro does not accept tutelage, whether when making sovereign decisions or defining its international partnerships. As a responsible member of the international community, we are convinced that principled and clearly expressed positions do not threaten regional stability”, said representatives of Ibrahimović’s ministry.
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