Đukanović: Montenegro is a fierce enemy of greater serbian nationalism

The presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS), Milo Đukanović, said tonight that Montenegro is “a friend of decent, civil Serbia and a fierce enemy of greater serbian nationalism”.

In a live television interview with Democratic Front (DF) candidate Andrija Mandić ahead of the 19 March elections, Đukanović said that the region “faces the aggression of large Serb nationalism” and assessed the Democratic Front (DF) leader is a “promoter” of this policy in Montenegro.

The DF leader and candidate accused Đukanović of “anti-serbianism and hatred” towards Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC).

Mandić said that Đukanović had “declared Serbia an enemy” of Montenegro, divided Montenegro “within the framework of Orthodoxy” and considered it “dangerous” that “today this line runs through the family”.

“Serbia does not see us as its enemy. I don’t know why you have decided to declare Serbia an enemy of Montenegro. It is not wise and it is not good. “We have never had any misunderstandings with Serbia”, Mandic said.

Đukanović dismissed Mandić’s accusations, saying that Serbia was “trying to put life in order not only in Montenegro, but also in BiH, Kosovo and Macedonia”.

“I am someone who, along with many other people, strongly believes in multi-ethnic democracy in the region. On the other side are the policies of big-state nationalisms, which believe that it is necessary to change borders and homogenise the population of each country in national and religious terms”, Đukanović said.

He added that this is why “the ideologues of the great Serbia think that they should regulate the life of Serbs outside Serbia”.

“You welcomed this at Putin’s party congress when he said he was happy to have an army that can help Serbs outside Serbia’s borders,” Đukanović said.

He said those who try to control the lives of their compatriots in other countries are destroying the sovereignty of those countries and endangering relations in the region.

Đukanović supported Mandić’s position on reconciliation in Montenegro, which is a key message of the DF presidential campaign, but replied that this issue “is not for daily political manipulation” and that it is “wrongly approached”.

“You and I both know that the roots of our divisions are deep in history…Unfortunately, we have not been able to apply any good state-policy therapy to reduce this divide.

“I agree with you that this should be the most important issue for the future, but I think you are approaching it in the wrong way,” he said.

“I do not think we will recover by reconciling fascists and anti -fascists in the past. Partizans and Chetniks have already reconciled in their graves … We need to provide a new platform for reconciliation in Montenegro, which is reconciliation in values,” Đukanović said.

He considered that “European values can be a good platform for the President of Montenegro, whatever his name may be, to try to overcome a difficult structural problem in the Montenegrin political reality”.

Mandic replied that Montenegro “must turn to itself”, that the “graves were reconciled,” and that “remained just to address the issues of how to descendants function together.”/Beta/