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Russia's diplomat: Montenegrin PM kowtows to NATO by making anti-Russian statements

"We paid attention to remarks made by Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic on July 12 about the Russian propaganda, which, according to him, is dangerous", Maria Zakharova said
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg  EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
© EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

MOSCOW, July 14 /TASS/. Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic makes anti-Russian statements in a bid to kowtow to NATO’s leadership, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"We paid attention to remarks made by Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic on July 12 about the Russian propaganda, which, according to him, is dangerous and is targeted at those who ‘got stuck in the hammerlock of the past’," the Russian diplomat said. "We heard the ideas, which are familiar to us from statements made by NATO leaders. "A space, which is not occupied by the European Union or NATO, will be filled by other forces. The other forces are Russia or radical Islamists," Zakharova said.

"It turns out that even before Montenegro was officially dragged into NATO, the country’s prime minister had bowed to the structure’s leadership once again," Zakharova said. "This tactics is not new. It was chosen by many NATO newcomers," the Russian diplomat said.

She said that instead of apple-polishing foreign bosses, it would be better for the Montenegrin authorities to serve the interests of their own people. "According to this logic, it would have been necessary to hold a referendum to ask the people what they thought about joining NATO prior to starting serving the interests of those who have got nothing to do with their state," Zakharova said.

"Mr Djukanovic did not hold a referendum because he was afraid to hear the opinion of his own people. The referendum results may be inconvenient for him personally and for NATO in general," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

"The authorities in Podgorica are to blame for Montenegro’s anti-Russian line," Zakharova concluded.