The ban on entering Croatia for Andrija Mandić, Aleksa Bečić, and Milan Knezhević is a significant measure and sufficient for now. Dushan Janjić from the Forum for Ethnic Relations Pobjeda stated that this is aimed at those in Croatia who are considered responsible for interfering in its internal affairs, which is fueling Serbian nationalism and reviving stories about Jasenovac. He noted that Croatia’s far-right is also capitalizing on these narratives, and Croatia never acts without consulting Brussels and NATO.
Janjić assessed that the reason for this measure is not just the Resolution on Genocide in Jasenovac, adopted by the Montenegrin Assembly, but also the current Croatian government’s character.
“Croatia is no longer the government with which Montenegrins are used to working, especially not the government with which Milo Đukanović was able to make some temporary agreements. Therefore, the Croatian government is inclined towards reciprocity, and Montenegrin politicians forget that permanent solutions with Croatia are actually temporary. If Montenegro continues with a policy where Russian influence is evident through government members, particularly after reconstruction, and border issues are a temporary solution that could last long and be contested, Croatia has already used this twice,” Janjić said.
He also identified a problem with some judicial decisions that are political despite previously established facts, such as the “coup d’état” and similar issues that now “should have consequences for the region.” According to him, the Croatian movement for homeland wants to sever relations, move the border, and at least make it an open issue that threatens regional security.
“This is an argument for regional security, and Montenegro, despite being a NATO member, should not forget this. Montenegro’s engagement in NATO is very limited, and the aforementioned actions by the Montenegrin government are precisely contrary to NATO policy and the Jasenovac Resolution,” Janjić emphasized.
When asked how the measures taken by Montenegrin politicians harm Montenegro’s European path, Janjić responded that Montenegro’s government is on the European path as much as Vučić’s government.
“Opening chapters is a bygone era that Montenegro itself dismissed with protests and political change. They can no longer be a state based on past merits. In Montenegro, society is becoming dynamic (many foreign citizens, companies, tourism), but institutions do not manage all the cash flows. Montenegro is becoming dangerous, and this is not good. Therefore, I expect Montenegro to be disciplined through NATO, as there is no other channel,” Janjić said.
He stressed that politicians in the region believe they do not need a driver’s license if they have parliamentary immunity. He reminded that Montenegro has a new generation of politicians who need to understand that actions, not political history, are needed on the path to the EU.
“Make two or three good laws and pass the Jasenovac Resolution, which destroys all this. Spajić and Milatović should read the Montenegro Law on National Minorities and not play games because Croatia always has the mechanism of Chapters 23 and 24 to stop them due to politics that intimidates and targets minorities—and this is the resolution on Jasenovac,” Janjić said.
A barrier to good relations is also the “Serb world,” which Janjić describes as a “para-state organization of the Serbian ethnicity,” and the problem, he says, is that the Montenegrin government and officials are involved in it.
“This should worry the citizens of Serbia, Montenegro, and Republika Srpska. Currently, this issue is sidelined in Croatia due to the fact that the opposition in Serbia and Republika Srpska did not vote for that resolution. However, it is a developing problem. Right-wing oriented politicians in Croatia see it as a Greater Serbia that will move when political crises arise,” Janjić assesses and emphasizes that Croatia’s reaction to the current situation will soon be seen in the replacement of ambassadors in the region.
Janjić said that Croatia never reacts without consulting Brussels and NATO, as it respects the common foreign policy and that the Jasenovac Resolution is a pure provocation.
He also sees a problem in the relations between these two countries and in the region, in that Montenegro did not adequately respond to “widespread money laundering and organized crime.” He recalls that the U.S. is very interested in holding all those who have acted against the law accountable, citing the example of the U.S. imposing sanctions on Milorad Dodik. However, despite this, irregularities in the spending of common funds in BiH are being revealed every day.
