Sokol: List of battles for the survival of Montenegro, the goal is to have more Serbs

European parliamentarian Tomislav Sokol assessed that the upcoming population census is a key battle for the long-term survival of Montenegro.
He was a guest on the show "Drugacija radio veza" and warned that there will be an attempt to manipulate that process.
They will try to list people who have lived in Serbia for generations and have no connection with Crom Gora, with the aim of having more Serbs in Montenegro. The census will be the key thing that will determine the future of Montenegro for the next few decades - says Sokol.
Sokol warns that, "if it succeeds, the next step will be pressure to change the Constitution and practically cement Montenegro as another Serbian state".
Sokol says that everything should be done to prevent manipulations in connection with the census.
The European parliamentarian does not dispute that Tonino Picula's amendment regarding the census is good, but indicates that it does not solve much.
The amendment says that the census should be postponed until the political deadlock passes. If, however, a government is formed and it is a government with Andrija Mandić and his team, then it can be interpreted that the political stalemate no longer exists, so the amendment does not solve the fundamental problem - explains Sokol, but adds that the pressure and tendency for the EU, nevertheless, more control over the process will be greater if the former DF enters the Government.
As he says, if Mandić and his team are in the government, "then we absolutely cannot have confidence in what the list will be".
Then we will do everything, here and in the talks in Brussels, to make people aware of it - says Sokol.
Pushing Mandić into power raises alarms in Brussels
The European parliamentarian from Croatia, Tomislav Sokol, says that he is fighting, and will continue to fight, to make European institutions aware of what is actually happening in Montenegro. In this regard, he indicates that alarms have slowly started to go off in Brussels.
Alarms started to go off slowly when it was realized that there is a real chance that a pro-Serbian, not to say Greater Serbian, option could come to power in Montenegro. Now people have started to understand what is happening in Montenegro, I would say, at least three years too late - says Sokol.
He also points out that Ukraine is similar to Russia as Montenegro is to Serbia.
Speaking about the Europe Now Movement, Sokol states that in the political alliance there are those who look more towards the West and those who are completely under the control of Vučić, pointing out that "the latter are exactly the ones who are pushing for a coalition with Mandić".
This is extremely dangerous, because this pro-Russian and pro-Serbian variant is something that actually means the end of independent Montenegro - Sokol states, pointing out that "the West looks too much through the fingers of Serbia".
As he says, Serbia is Russia's Trojan horse in this part of Europe.
We see how much they are working to destabilize Kosovo and Montenegro, that is something that is extremely serious - says Sokol.
Speaking about the views of Commissioner Oliver Varhelji, Sokol states that he cannot say whether, as he says, someone is on someone's remote control, but that there is definitely a problem and that there are many indications.
What is certain is that the EC was not firm enough towards Serbia, and that it was too lenient. At the end of the day, we see that in the situation with Kosovo, Sokol points out, assessing that those who organized the terrorist attack in Kosovo miscalculated, if they thought that Serbia would have some benefit there.
He states that "pushing Mandić into power helped bring awareness to things in Brussels and European institutions".
The Resolution on Montenegro clearly mentions the Serbian Orthodox Church as an exponent of external influence on Montenegro
Sokol also states that it is very significant that the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church was highlighted in the Resolution on Montenegro.
We have a very clear mention of the SPC as an exponent of external influence on Montenegro. It is, of course, wrapped in a diplomatic language that is, as it is, very often irritating and often impersonal, but nevertheless the influence of the SPC is expressly mentioned. I think that is extremely important - says Sokol.
There were many people in Montenegro who were fed up with the long-term rule of the DPS and who, says Sokol, believed that some pro-European story would emerge that was at the same time pro-Montenegro, but not DPS.
And now we have seen that those options are very doubtful - says Sokol.
He says he sees a division in PES.
In PES, I see a division between those who are false Europeans, and first of all, there are pro-Serbs attached to Vučić on the one hand, and those who are pro-European and pro-Montenegrin, and they have had enough of DPS. Now the question is how to get those people who, in some way, have been deceived and live in their illusion... I think that the future of Montenegro will depend on it the most - believes Sokol and adds that he is a "moderate optimist".
Emphasizing that Croatia has no territorial pretensions towards Montenegro, European parliamentarian from Croatia Tomislav Sokol says that it is of strategic importance for that country that Montenegro is a genuinely sovereign state that is bound to Western values and looks towards the EU.
POBJEDA