Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said the latest events in his country, related to the inauguration of the Serbian metropolitan, were the most serious attack on the Montenegrin state by the “Serbian world” with the support of the Russian Federation.
Djukanovic admitted that Montenegrins would have to “go into the woods” to defend their state. This was reported by the Balkan Observer with reference to the Croatian publication Jutarnji list.
“We are currently experiencing the most aggressive attack by Greater Serbia nationalism on the Montenegrin state and Montenegrin identity in our recent history. This never happened under Milosevic,” Dzhukanovych said.
He noted that he sees recent events as a threat to the civic and secular nature of the state, its European perspective, and even survival.
“As expected, Montenegro’s national identity is initially being questioned. Because if there are no Montenegrins, there is no need for an independent Montenegro,” the president stressed.
Djukanovic believes that the reason for the latest attack is the importance of preserving Montenegro within the framework of the “Serbian world.” “Without Montenegro, the Greater Serbia project is forever dead,” he said.
Commenting on the version that Russia is behind this policy of destabilizing Montenegro, Djukanovic said he considered it a “Serbian-Russian project.”
“The (current) government of Montenegro is a service of the Church of Serbia, which is a tool for the implementation of the Greater Serbia project, which is the official state policy of Belgrade. And Serbia is a political security and information base for the realization of Russia’s geopolitical interests in the Balkans,” he said.
Asked whether the events in Cetinje, where the conflict over the enthronement of the new Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan led to clashes between citizens and police, showed that Montenegro was on the brink of a possible conflict, the Montenegrin president said: “I once figuratively said we would defend Montenegro, if necessary, going into the woods. After the recent events in Cetinje, I am even more inclined to believe so.”
