WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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Montenegro is in a political crisis and we believe that this is a completely unnecessary situation and that there are no insurmountable differences in Montenegro. That is why we expect the parties to come to an agreement and find solutions, since the Constitution does not provide clear guidelines for a way out of such a situation, he said is German ambassador to Montenegro, Peter Felten Felten.
He said that it is necessary for the parties to agree and find a common language.
"I also agree with the statement of the president of the Venice Commission that judges of the Constitutional Court should be elected as soon as possible, this is necessary not only because of the announcement of the election results, but also because of several other issues. That is why he believes that it is up to the political parties to jointly find a solution and agree in these issues, because that is their responsibility to the citizens. So, in the first round, a two-thirds majority is necessary, in the second round, a two-fifths majority, so it is very important that the political parties agree on this issue. This is one of the priorities," said Felten.
When asked who bears the greatest responsibility for the situation, he said that he does not make a difference and that every MP bears personal responsibility.
"They have to bear this responsibility, they cannot delegate it. It is up to the MPs, individually, on the parties and parliamentary clubs, to meet and agree, to put aside what separates them and to find common solutions, because we have no doubt that the Black Gora has enough qualified lawyers to fill four positions in the Constitutional Court," said the German ambassador.
"It's good that the opinion of the Venice Commission was sought"
Speaking about the Amendments to the Law on the President, Fekten said that the impression is that they are trying to change the Constitution, that is, certain provisions of the Constitution.
"If that's the case, it's certainly not allowed. We think it's very good that the opinion of the Venice Commission was requested because it's a highly qualified independent body that will give its opinion. That's why it's good, when they get that opinion, the deputies study law and deal with it thoroughly," Felten said.
He said that the amendment to the Law on the President neither eased nor simplified the complicated political situation.
"I am not a lawyer in the field of constitutional law, nor do I have the right to pass judgments on whether something is constitutional or not, but here too I note that there is a responsibility here for deputies to make their decisions in accordance with the Constitution. Each deputy bears responsibility when he receives a draft law, his is the responsibility to check whether that bill is constitutional," Felten said.
EU integration
When it comes to the negotiation process with the EU, the TVCG interlocutor said that Montenegro has achieved the greatest progress, but he noted that the reforms made recently have been very small, as stated in the European Commission's Progress Report.
"We have to say that it is disappointing. These reforms do not represent a witch hunt, the reform steps are not a political favor that Montenegro is doing to the EU, but they are carried out for the sake of the interests of the citizens and the improvement of the political system. In this sense, it has so far achieved the greatest progress in the negotiation process. process, but unfortunately these reforms have been very small lately," said Felten.
It is positive that Montenegro opposed Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
"Montenegro has clearly sided with international law and Ukraine, and against the idea that the powerful can impose its will on the weaker by force, taking parts of its territory. In this sense, Montenegro has sided with the values and convictions of NATO and the EU, fully implementing the foreign and security policy. We know that we appreciate that and it is very important, because precisely in a situation where certain leaders of certain countries are trying to change the order based on international law," said Felten.
About the Open Balkans and the Berlin Process
When it comes to the "Open Balkans", the German ambassador said that they do not know much about the Open Balkans initiative.
"We are not involved in it, it is not very transparent and we do not know what the concrete results of this initiative are," said Felten.
On the other hand, as he stated, the Berlin process is producing results.
"We have a youth organization, then the abolition of roaming fees in the region, cooperation in combating the illegal possession of small arms, cooperation in the field of energy. The last summit on November 3rd showed that we have and is giving tangible results. These are the agreements signed within the framework of mobility in the Western Balkans , joint statements when it comes to the green transition and energy, which are supported by the commitment and statements of Germany and the EU that support will be provided in this area.A joint cultural fund which aims to provide young artists from the Western Balkans with finances for joint projects. Cooperation was also announced in the framework of cyber security, where we see how important it is to strengthen the state's resistance to cyber attacks," said Felten.
They said that Montenegro should make an analysis of the "Open Balkans" based on facts, on a rational weighing of costs and benefits, without emotions, whether such an initiative should be approached.
"And when such a decision is made, Montenegrin politicians should explain why such a decision was made," said Felten.
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