PODGORICA (Montenegro), Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Montenegro and Serbia expelled each other’s ambassadors, both countries’ foreign ministries said, in a move likely further to strain already tense relations between two former Yugoslav republics.
Podgorica declared Serbian ambassador Vladimir Bozovic persona non grata for “interfering in Montenegro’s internal affairs”, a foreign ministry statement said citing remarks he had made about history.
Serbia then said Montenegrin envoy Tarzan Milosevic had been given 72 hours to leave.
Montenegro proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2006, but tensions around national identity are still haunting the tiny Balkans nation.
Montenegro remains deeply divided among those seeking closer ties with traditional Orthodox Christian allies Serbia and Russia, and those who view Montenegro as an independent state allied with the West.
Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who headed the country for nearly 30 years without interruption, steered the country away from its traditional alliance with Serbia and Russia by joining NATO in 2017.
The government in Montenegro is expected to remain in place only for the next four days, as a new coalition prepares to replace it following elections in August.
Djukanovic’s long-ruling pro-Western Democratic Party of Socialists was defeated by a pro-Serb coalition whose government is set to be voted into office during a parliament session next week.
On Wednesday, Montenegro’s Parliament is due to vote on a new government that unites three opposition groups. The most powerful party is the pro-Russian, pro-Serbian Democratic Front.
The outgoing authorities have accused Serbia of aiding pro-Serb political forces in Montenegro to install allies in power and regain influence.
The foreign ministry’s statement asserted that Bozovic, the Serbian ambassador, “directly disrespected” Montenegro by describing a 1918 decision to join a Serbia-dominated kingdom as an act of “liberation” and “free will” by the Montenegrin people.
Montenegro’s Parliament declared the century-old decision void in 2018, saying it had stripped the country of its sovereignty.
Boris Raonic, president of Montenegro’s Civic Alliance organisation, said Bozovic’s expulsion did not come as a surprise since he had already been officially warned by the foreign ministry several times prior to Saturday’s move.
“I don’t believe [relations between Montenegro and Serbia] could get worse than how it is now,” Raonic said. — NNN-AGENCIES
