Montenegro's Foreign Ministry summons diplomat in Moscow for consultations after pro-Russian statements

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro has summoned Aleksandar Obradović, third secretary at the Montenegrin Embassy in Russia, for consultations, following previous public appearances in which he openly promoted pro-Russian positions. The news was confirmed by the ministry headed by Minister Ervin Ibrahimović.

Obradović, in May last year, while serving as chargé d'affaires in Moscow, participated in the "Balkan Dialogue 2025: Montenegro and Russia" forum in St. Petersburg, where he declared that "Russia and Montenegro are two states, one soul", and that "two peoples are one heart".

He also emphasized that "the path paved long ago must not be lost."

Later, his social media posts also became public, including a photo near the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky in Lubyanka, the founder of the Soviet secret police Cheka, which is considered a symbol of political persecution and repression.

Felix Dzerzhinsky was the head of the Russian KGB's predecessor, the Cheka. He is considered responsible for the deaths of an estimated 250 people. The Cheka executed tens and hundreds of thousands of people without trial in prison basements and public places.

The Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs has since distanced itself from his statements, stressing that they do not reflect official state policy and were made without consultation and consent of the Ministry. It was also announced that appropriate steps had been taken.

Asked about the reasons for the new call for consultations, the Ministry briefly stated that the procedure was conducted in accordance with the Law on Foreign Affairs, without providing additional details.

"The statement was issued without consultation and without the consent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for which, in relation to the action in question, the relevant steps have been taken," the MFA stated at the time.

In May last year, Obradović was the only diplomat in the Moscow mission, temporarily acting as chargé d'affaires. According to data on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this position is currently held by Mirsad Bibović, who retired from the post of ambassador to Denmark and Norway at the end of 2024.

According to diplomatic practice, a call for consultations is usually made to clarify certain positions, which may be followed by warnings or even dismissal from service.

The case reopens the issue of the presence and influence of pro-Russian cadres within the diplomatic network of countries in the region, at a time when Moscow aims to maintain political and security leverage in the Western Balkans.

In March 2022, Moscow included Montenegro on the list of foreign states that "take hostile actions against Russia, Russian legal entities and individuals."

At that time, Montenegro expelled five Russian diplomats, arguing that their activities were in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. As a countermeasure, on March 24, Russia declared a diplomat from the Montenegrin embassy in Moscow persona non grata.

The Geopost