Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic does not trust the regional initiative known as the Open Balkan, nor Serbia’s intentions in the region.
“They (Serbia) are trying to fulfill their nationalistic project so that they can camouflage it later with a sort of story on regional cooperation, which they have defined word by word as the Open Balkan. No, that does not work for us”, Djukanovic said in an interview for KTV.
Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the only states that have refused to join the initiative citing threats to their sovereignty.
“We see an effort to destroy the sovereignty of neighbor countries hidden behind that initiative, and for that reason, we have clearly stated that one of its founders lacks the credibility in inviting us to join”, he added.
Djukavonic announced he will officially visit Prishtina in the upcoming months, where he will delegate his stance on recent developments, including the war in Ukraine and Kosovo’s NATO membership.
“So, for me, Kosovo’s interest in being part of European and Euro-Atlantic integration is completely legitimate. I am deeply convinced that the key problem of this region is its instability, and I have said many times that we have a lot of evidence, both in the past and in recent history for that. We do not have sufficiently reliable mechanisms of our regional stability”, Djukanović said, adding:
He also reiterated his country’s stance toward Kosovo’s sovereignty.
“In the case of Kosovo-Serbia relations, it is very important that both sides show responsibility for the dialogue and try to develop this dialogue to a final solution. Montenegro’s position is clear. Montenegro recognized Kosovo’s independence because it was convinced then and now that it is the only true view of the future”.
