It was back in 2013 when the then Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, embarked on his first official visit to Serbia. A year later, former Prime Minister Igor Lukšić was also in Belgrade. In 2017, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić hosted Prime Minister Duško Marković, and four years later Zdravko Krivokapić was also on his first official visit to Serbia.
During all that time, no one from the Serbian state leadership was in Podgorica, at least not officially.
Former diplomats from Serbia and Montenegro tell TVCG that this is "not commendable" and that it is time to repair the shaken relations. Publicist and economist Srećko Đukić, who served in the embassies in Moscow, Minsk and Sofia, said that it is usual to take into account the reciprocity of visits, and that in this relationship "Serbia is losing 5:0" and that it will take time to it is compensated.
The former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro and former diplomat Branko Lukovac stated that the principle of equality is key in all diplomatic relations: "Unfortunately, these relations have been greatly disturbed in recent years. The principles of equality and non-interference in internal relations are also called into question. This data on visits at the state level is just another indicator of the disturbed, unequal relations between the two countries, which must build the best of friendly relations."
The small number and ratio of state visits says a lot about the fact that nothing is actually being done to overcome the accumulated problems between the two countries and two "brotherly peoples".
Aleksandar Vučić recently met Montenegrin President Milo Đukanović, in the same breath as Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti, compared to a "fly zunzar". who is waiting for the hyenas to bring her some prey", and the hyenas in that righteous outpouring of anger of the Serbian president were all those in the region who criticize his government in any way.
In Belgrade, Đukanović was also accused of ordering one of the few alleged attempts that have fallen into oblivion assassination of Vučić, and Đukanović did not fall back and accused Vučić and his subordinates of planning to destabilize Montenegro and that Vučić cannot break away from his radical, Great Serbian pretensions.
On the table of discord are also the "Kosovo betrayal" of the Montenegrin authorities, destabilizing disputes about position of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, Podgorica's request for the extradition of Svetozar Marović...
"And do you know how many requests we have?" Have you ever wondered or just wanted to show that Serbia is unfair to Montenegro. I can make 10 requests right away, but I won't, because I want to build better relations," said Vučić on the occasion of the announced arrival of Abazović in Belgrade.
In such an atmosphere, the visit of the current Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazović to Belgrade was announced. "I am convinced that when the Prime Minister (Abazović) talks about the need to reset relations, he has in mind that after his visit to Belgrade, a new round of negotiations should follow, of course in Podgorica, so that the process of overcoming difficulties and removing doubts can slowly begin," says Lukovac .
Dritan Abazović should make his first official visit to Belgrade on June 29 at the invitation of the President of the Serbian Technical Government, Ana Brnnabić. Just after the Vidovdan celebration.
MN/FoNet
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