Montenegrin PM hits back at Serbian President after accusations of anti-Serbian policy and sending a representative to commemorate Operation Storm in Knin, calling him 'Russia's PR agent'.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić on Tuesday sharply responded to escalating criticism from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, questioning Belgrade's double standards in relations with Russia and Ukraine. In a post on social media platform X, Spajić stated that Montenegro chooses the European path and good neighborly relations, but that Vučić, through his statements, is taking on the role of "Russia's PR agent."
Responding to increasingly frequent claims from Belgrade that Podgorica is pursuing an anti-Serbian policy, Spajić pointed out that it is inappropriate for Vučić to "lecture others on principledness" given what he claims is Serbia's hypocritical stance on the war in Ukraine.
"So, one simple question for President Vučić: how is it that Serbia, according to available data, is one of the more significant sources of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, while sending one message to Moscow and another to Europe," Spajić wrote. He added that Montenegro has no problem with taking a clear stance, but rather with "the application of double standards."
Spajić's response came after Vučić earlier on Tuesday made a series of accusations against the Montenegrin government. The Serbian president stated that Podgorica is pursuing a policy aimed at "re-educating" the 33 percent of Serbs living in Montenegro, with the goal that they no longer declare themselves as Serbs in future censuses. He also claimed that the authorities in Podgorica deliberately want the worst possible relations with Serbia.
"You don't have to look at their institutional moves towards Serbia, which are horrifying. Just look at their media scene to make it clear that Serbia has been the target of the most brutal campaign for six or seven days. In our media, Montenegro is occasionally mentioned, while in theirs, 90 percent of the time everything is against Serbia," Vučić said.
Tensions between the two countries escalated about ten days ago when Montenegro announced it would send its diplomatic representative to the commemoration of the anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin. This decision drew a sharp reaction from Vučić, who interpreted it as a hostile act.
"Official Montenegro participates in the celebration of 'Storm,' but sent no one to the commemorative remembrance for the Serbs who suffered in Mrkonjić Grad. Thank you to the government of Montenegro. This is not the end, but just the beginning of such decisions," Vučić said at the time, suggesting that Podgorica would continue with moves he sees as anti-Serbian.
Spajić, on the other hand, made it clear that his government does not want conflict. "Montenegro does not want conflict with Serbia. We want good neighborly relations, but also a clear European policy that, apparently, Mr. Vučić does not want to understand," concluded the Montenegrin Prime Minister.
