WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR: Mirsad Jahović
MUWN: A population census is underway in Montenegro. After several delays and the announcement of a boycott by the opposition, that process has begun, and the population census process itself has ended. What are your expectations and have all the conditions been created so that the data obtained in the census from the current government is not misused?
N. ZIROJEVIĆ: I will remind you that the intentions of the 43rd treacherous Government of Dritan Abazović was to conduct this census without any control mechanisms and the participation of the parliamentary opposition. We thwarted that intention and did not allow such a list to be held. The arrival of the 44th Government was marked, on the first working day, by Prime Minister Spajić's invitation to the opposition representatives regarding the agreement regarding the holding of the census. The end result of those negotiations was the postponement of the population census for a month and the implementation of all the control mechanisms that we, as the opposition, were looking for. All these control mechanisms have, I must say, been implemented in practice, with the exception of the data control software, which, due to the very nature of the work it will perform, can only be implemented after the final processing of the data. And in this sense, all the procedures for the preparation of the software are running at a satisfactory pace. the committee for monitoring the implementation of the census works at full capacity all the time, with the full cooperation of the representatives of MONSTAT, director Pejović and assistant director Remiković. In this sense, I believe that we have created and provided all the necessary conditions to conduct the census in a high-quality manner and to obtain valid results of that census.
MUWN: At the head of the Montenegrin Parliament is a man who is a convicted terrorist and a person who throughout his political career worked against the interests of Montenegro, as well as its independence. In your opinion, how much will this fact negatively affect the society itself, the state and the processes that will take place in the coming period?
N.ZIROJEVIĆ: The election of Andrija Mandić to the position of President of the Assembly is disputed on several grounds. One of them is certainly the fact that this is a man who was convicted of attempted terrorism in the first instance. That judgment is currently invalid, a retrial is expected to begin, and the very fact that the President of the Parliament of Montenegro will soon be on the dock again for attempted terrorism speaks in favor of our position that Andrija Mandić should not have been elected to that position. On the other hand, we have Mr. Mandić's actions so far, which were mostly oriented against the interests of Montenegro, and in the interests of neighboring Serbia or Russia as their political center. Although Mr. Mandić is now sending conciliatory tones from the head of the Parliament, saying that he prefers Montenegro to Serbia, we cannot forget all that marked his decades-long political career, which was directed against the interests of our country. And thirdly, the election of Andrija Mandić as a pro-Russian and anti-NATO politician is definitely a thorn in the side of our international partners. The best indicator of this claim is the fact that, at the celebration of Parliamentarianism Day, after Mandić's election, only two ambassadors from NATO member states appeared, and none from EU member states. All of the above clearly shows that the election of Andrija Mandić as President of the Assembly has negative effects on society, the state, and the processes that will take place.
MUWN: Montenegro also got a government, which was supported by the parties of the former DF, and which international partners were unequivocally marked as entities that cannot be their partners. In what way will it affect the international position and relations of our country with allies?
N.ZIROJEVIĆ: I gave part of the answer in the answer to the previous question. The trust of our international partners was called into question already in 2020, when Zdravko Krivokapić was brought to the head of the Government. That trust was further eroded by Dritan Abazović and his treacherous Government, and now, the election of the leader of the DF to the place of another man in the state, as well as the announcement of the full entry of that alliance into power, at the level of ministers, in a year at the latest, are just a continuation of the collapse of trust .
MUWN: Is the European path of Montenegro threatened by the introduction of the DF in the executive power?
N. ZIROJEVIĆ: Certainly it is, for all the reasons stated in the answers to the previous 2 questions.
MUWN: What is the role of Western partners in these processes in Montenegro?
N.ZIROJEVIĆ: Until now, she has always been consultative, at the level of suggestions. Our Western partners have never forcibly created either the internal or external policy of Montenegro, but they have always been a consultative and corrective factor. Today, unfortunately, their role is also called into question, because it turned out that we have a parliamentary majority and leaders of ruling parties who do not care about the views of our Western partners and the consequences that some of their decisions could have on Montenegro.
MUWN: The reconstruction of the Government has been announced for the year, in which representatives of the DF will formally enter. What consequences will this have for Montenegro?
N.ZIROJEVIĆ: If that reconstruction happens, and I want to believe that it won't, it will only further damage relations with our Western partners, further endanger the already significantly shaken trust and certainly become a serious obstacle on our European path, but also a serious problem in communication, especially intelligence, with our NATO partners.
MUWN: The government is also announcing the implementation of the Europe Now 2 program, how realistic is it, and what consequences will it have for the country, knowing what negative effects the Europe Now 1 program had?
N.ZIROJEVIĆ: Until now, apart from the program announcements, we have not had the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the implementation plan of the Europe Now 2 program. That program is not even in the Proposal of the Law on the Budget for 2024. In this sense, without the necessary information, it would be difficult for me to comment on possible negative effects, but bearing in mind the above facts, I believe that the implementation of the Europe Now 2 program itself is quite questionable.
MUWN : Do you see the possibility of getting out of the not only political crisis, which Montenegro has been in for more than 3 years, and in what way?
N. ZIROJEVIĆ: Montenegro must get a pro-European, Euro-Atlantic, citizen-oriented government. Everything else turned out to be a total failure and fiasco. We had Krivokapić's Government, we saw how long it lasted and what damage it caused. So we had Abazović's treacherous Government, we saw, and are still seeing today, the extent of the enormous damage it caused, and we also saw how long it lasted. Even this current parliamentary majority does not and cannot have a pro-European, Euro-Atlantic and civic character, so I am very skeptical about the question of the duration of the 44th Government in this form. Certainly, I am convinced that it will very quickly become clear that without civil, European, Euro-Atlantic, pro-Montenegro political entities in the Government, there is no stable and successful Government of Montenegro.
MUWN: In your opinion, how well did the opposition parties manage in that period and whether some of their political decisions could and should have been different, clearer, more decisive?
N. ZIROJEVIĆ: On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate the opposition parties as a solid three. I think there were good reactions, good moments, we overthrew 2 governments, fought for extraordinary parliamentary elections, reduced the one who betrayed the national interests of Montenegro and his party to the level of absolute political irrelevance. We fought in Parliament and achieved significant results. It also seems to me that the opposition in the current, new convocation of the Parliament is doing quite a good job and that the citizens are generally quite satisfied with our work. Certainly, I think that some decisions had to be different, clearer, more decisive, I think that in some situations it was necessary to go more forcefully, stronger, and I should say more aggressively - because that, in my humble opinion, is the essence of political action. In this sense, I will personally advocate for such a slightly different approach and I believe that, at the end of this mandate, this rating will be higher.
MUWN: How do you see the future cooperation between the state and expatriates?
N. ZIROJEVIĆ: As I have always emphasized, Montenegro must take care of its diaspora and it is in the interest of our country to achieve intensive communication and have quality relations with its emigrants. Montenegrin emigrants, all over the world, from Luxembourg, Germany and other European countries, to distant America and Australia, have shown that they carry Montenegro in their hearts and that their patriotism and attitude towards the country is as pure as a tear, often succeeding in their attitude towards Montenegro to shame us who live here. I hope, and as a member of the Parliamentary Committee for International Relations and Emigrants, I will make a maximum contribution to this, that the cooperation between the state and emigrants will be at a significantly higher level than it has been until now.
MUWN: Your message to our readers.
N. ZIROJEVIĆ : First of all, I wish all the readers of your portal good health, personal and family happiness and success in everything they do, in anticipation of the upcoming holidays. I want to thank our diaspora for everything they have done for Montenegro so far, but also for everything you will do in the future. Continue to love Montenegro in the way you have done so far, setting an example for all of us how to love your homeland and how to protect your own.
