Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has sharply criticized Montenegro’s government after Podgorica confirmed that its chargé d’affaires in Croatia will attend Wednesday’s commemoration marking the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin.
Vučić particularly objected to Montenegro’s decision not to send an official representative to a separate commemoration for Serb victims in Mrkonjić Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The Government of Montenegro, official Montenegro, is participating in the celebration, in the commemoration of crimes committed against Serbs, celebrating together with the Croats, while the Government of Montenegro did not send anyone to the commemoration in memory of the Serbs who died in Mrkonjić Grad,” Vučić said.
He described Podgorica’s decision as a clear indication of the direction of Montenegro’s current policy toward Serbia and the Serbian community.
“This is not the end. This is only the beginning of such decisions, and there will be many more in the future. Things there will not change,” Vučić added.
The Serbian president concluded his remarks with a pointed message to Montenegro’s leadership: “Thank you to the Government of Montenegro.”
The dispute comes amid renewed tensions over how Montenegro and Serbia commemorate the wars of the 1990s, particularly Operation Storm, the 1995 Croatian military and police offensive that resulted in the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Serbs from Croatia.
Vučić’s comments also come as political debates over Montenegro’s relations with Serbia and its approach to regional historical events continue to intensify.
