Montenegrin Caretaker PM Dritan Abazovic has stated that he supports the appeals of Montenegro’s western allies for the country to form a pro-European executive power as soon as possible. Abazovic, who is attending the session of the General Assembly of the United Nations as the acting head of diplomacy of Montenegro, points out that the job of forming the government should be left to someone else – if the actors who are currently dealing with it are not able to do it.
“Montenegro needs a new government after the elections, however, we cannot agree on it by force. Those who have taken it upon themselves to do the work, which is perfectly fine, should see it through to the end. If they can’t succeed in that, then they should leave it to someone else to try”, says Abazovic in an interview for the Voice of America.
“The solution lies in a different approach. The solution is in a different vision, the solution is in inclusiveness. I will remind you that the ambition was also the organization of the parliamentary elections, so that we could reach a qualified majority that could lead to changes and a significant refresh in the judiciary, which is the biggest problem in general when it comes to the rule of law in Montenegro”, Abazovic stresses. He points out that new elections are not something to rule out.
Answering the question of whether URA will support the future government despite not being invited to enter it, Abazovic says that URA’s support can’t be expected in that case. “One can’t expect to receive support when excluding someone as a potential partner for no reason at all”, he explains. “The people from the Montenegrin underground who are completely decimated by this government have an influence on the government formation. Those are media, i.e. their owners, centered around the Bemax group”, Abazovic says.
Asked by the VoA presenter if there are any external pressures on the government formation (Serbia, Serbian Orthodox Church, Russia, or some addresses), Abazovic says he thinks that the ones mentioned don’t have any important impact on the government formation.
He says he is satisfied with the performance of the state delegation in New York.
Abazovic has referred to numerous bilateral contacts, the President’s speech at the General Assembly, numerous contacts with the countries of the region, partner countries and the United States as one of the most important foreign policy partners. He adds that “we managed to secure a large donation for Montenegro – for education, from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so I think that this visit and stay in New York for Montenegro and for the Montenegrin delegation was really successful”.
