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Media campaign against Montenegro is orchestrated and will become even fiercer

Not a day goes by that Serbian media don’t publish at least one text accusing Montenegrin government of conducting anti-Serbian campaign, stating that rights of Serbs in Montenegro are compromised, that Serbs are prosecuted… Amount of fake news in reference to Montenegro is impossible to be measured. Two days ago, number of fake and scandalous texts against Montenegro reached culminating point  when Government in Podgorica said that it wasn’t plan to open its borders to Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska due to the epidemic situation in those countries. The decision was denounced as political by Serbia’s PM, Ms Ana Brnabić and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ivica Dačić but said they wouldn’t send a note of protest to Montenegro. CdM interlocutors have no doubt that media attacks on Montenegro are orchestrated and planned in Belgrade and that are going to be even more violent.

Professor and sociologist, Mr Srđan Vukadinović, notes that more frequent attacks on Montenegro followed after the elections were called in Serbia with the aim of creating a stereotype about Montenegro as country which is not safe for Serbian nationals. He says that government and media in Serbia tend to present Montenegro as worse than Independent State of Croatia.

Srđan Vukadinović
Srđan Vukadinović

One example is the fact that campaign against Montenegro has slipped into the education spheres when one teacher talked about what Montenegro and Montenegrin Orthodox Church are without any knowledge of the subject.

“This clearly suggests that attacks are going to become even more violent, to the detriment of Serbs. Whether they are Serbs in Montenegro or Serbs from Serbia, they should know that such rhetoric and attacks will do them bad”, Mr Vukadinović points out.

Rhetoric became fierce after calling elections

“It is known that last Thursday Serbia terminated state of emergency and set date for early elections. The pandemic is enhancing totalitarian regimes. Considering that a complete totalitarian regime with many theocratic marks is on stage in Serbia, it just wants to seize on that moment and further reinforce its autocracy. Such hasty decision to call elections just day after the state of emergency terminated clearly says that Serbia has no scruples hen it comes to its citizens. It just wants to strengthen its autocracy”, Mr Vukadinović says.

Montenegro – “natural” target

Montenegro is, of course, the most suitable for the blade to be aimed against it.

“There’s no other ambiance in the region which that blade could be aimed against. The ide of the Great Serbia is alive and it will be as long as Montenegro exists. The moment Montenegro clears the Serbian clerical nationalism up, the story about the Great Serbia will end. That’s why Montenegro is so interesting”, Mr Vukadinović points out.

Religious processions can spill over to Serbia

Mr Vukadinović says that Montenegro is target now because of elections.

“On the other side, there’s one phenomenon that could spill over to Serbia. The religious processions everyone’s talking about mean nothing in Montenegro and will have no effect. If one third of the population from Serbia and Republic Srpska takes part in processions, then it is clear that they can’t do anything in Montenegro ”, Mr Vukadinović expresses his opinion.

According to him, religious processions might be greater threat for Serbia than for Montenegro.

He says that processions might effectively spill over into Serbia when President Aleksandar Vučić is about to sign resolution for Kosovo.

“That’s their ultimate goal, as processions are not effective in Montenegro”, Mr Vukadinović says.

Dačić and Vulin – megaphones of the radical government

Mr Vukadinović says that Serbian ministers of foreign affairs and armed forces, Mr Ivica Dačić and Mr Aleksandar Vulin, are actually megaphones of the radical government and are meddling into the campaign against Montenegro.

“But Montenegro has its path and I think that those who call themselves friends of Montenegro should think if they really are friends to Montenegro”, Mr Vukadinović notes.

He stresses that current situation is very delicate and thinks that Montenegrin Government must set different parameters in those relations.

“The decision to open borders with certain countries based on some standards is pretty relative. Why 25 infected persons per 100.000 citizens? Why not 50 or 75, there’s no explanation”, Mr Vukadinović says.

He says that this Montenegro is not Montenegro from 1990s and that fratricidal war in Montenegro is not possible as there are no fathers who would gladly send their sons to death for the sake of irrational ideas of the authoritarian government from Belgrade.

Mr Vukadinović states that calling for war rhetoric is just demons of the past.

Montenegro shouldn’t be afraid of religious processions

“They will come back to its organizers as boomerang, because they won’t be able to fulfill the requests they had promised. Religious have taken social note now”, Mr Vukadinović says.

Magnificent celebration of 21 May

Mr Vukadinović says that Montenegrin Government must be more decisive.

“All those bad sides have their good part too. For the first time this year 21 May was celebrated as never before. It was never so magnificent, so dignified and so devoted to the country”, Mr Vukadinović says.

Attack on Montenegrin constitutional and legal order

Dragan Bursać

 

Bosnian journalist and columnist, Mr Dragan Bursać, points out that campaign against Montenegro is orchestrated, projected, agreed and of course, originates in Belgrade and partly in Banja Luka.

“This time, the motive is refusal to keep the borders to B&H and Serbia closed, which provoked negative reactions of Serbia’s PM and Mr Dodik, as I see. They simply don’t feel welcome to Montenegro’s territory and that’s why they are doing what they are doing – destroying constitutional order of Montenegro.”, Mr Bursać says.

The borders will of course be open soon and everything will calm down.

Mr Bursać also believes that campaign against Montenegro is related to the unsettled Serbia-Kosovo relations.

He says that people should be explained that Kosovo is an independent state and that they still have national bastion.

 

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