Marko Milačić, a Montenegrin politician, leader of the Otpor Beznadju (Resistance to Hopelessness) movement, one of the founders of Movement for Military Neutrality of Montenegro, has arrived in Moscow. He had a meeting with Sergey Zheleznyak, Secretary of United Russia Party General Council, a member of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs.
In an interview with EADaily, Milačić shared his views of Montenegro’s political present and future, the ways out of the current stalemate that Russia and Montenegro have faced after the latter joined NATO. The politician addressed presidential elections and explained why it is important to run for president even having very little chances for victory.
You are one of the first politicians to push for a referendum on Montenegro’s accession to NATO. Unfortunately, no referendum took place. What do you think of your fight now and why it was not a success?
To answer this question, I need to analyze everything that happened during the last three decades. What has happened in Montenegro should be viewed in a wider political context. Then, it will become evident that the authority in Montenegro is, in fact, a Contractor that implements construction activities, and its Client is the West, and Washington, first of all. Now, we can see what we couldn’t see before. After breaking down the Berlin Wall, that “Contractor” integrated into the country, like troopers that air dropped into the zone of military actions. Here we can see that the criminal organization led by Duško Marković, Milo Đukanović and their allies air dropped into our country with the only goal to subdue Montenegro to Euro-Atlantic powers.
That process had several important phases, but let’s not go too deeply into the past. Here are the last two phases – Montenegro’s accession to NATO and deterioration of the relations with Russia and sanctions imposed on it. Those two phases are just part of the integral plan of Montenegro’s Atlantization that has continued for 30 years. We are witnessing formal completion of that process now.
All this illustrates the efforts to organize referendum on accession to NATO better than anything else. We have specific information that public opinion surveys were rigged. It has got the name “Snimak” affair. By internal data which I received from a source in the Montenegrin government, the public opinion polls revealed that 84% of the citizens supported the idea to hold a referendum on accession to NATO. Noteworthy that 68% of the citizens who advocated for accession to NATO supported the idea to hold the referendum as well. Actually, the ruling party has misled its voters too.
As you know, no referendum was held. The parliament that is Illegitimate voted for the country’s accession to NATO. The parliament was formed through unfair elections that were held amid state coup. None of our elections of the last 30 years was free, but the last ones were the top of the pre-election fraud. They paved the way towards Montenegro’s forced accession to NATO during a parliament session attended by half of the parliamentarians and no opposition representatives. The opposition still boycotts that parliament.
Apparently, Montenegro’s accession to NATO is illegal because first, impartial surveys showed that most of the citizens are against the country’s accession to the Alliance; second, most of the citizens supported the referendum that was not held; third, the parliament that passed the decision to join NATO was illegitimate.
You have mentioned the past parliamentary elections. On the voting day, mass media reported that a coup attempt was made in the country. It could be a serious reason to repeat the voting, but the election results were not cancelled. They blamed Russia along with some other countries for backing the coup. Where did the idea to involve Russia into that story come from?
What happened in Montenegro little reflects what is happening at the global level. In fact, demonization of Russia, its government and people and glorification of NATO’s military ideology is what happening at the global level.
Montenegro is located in an important geostrategic area in the southwest of Europe with access to the Adriatic Sea. It is an important point to control the entire territory of the European continent. Americans know that to get control over Eurasia and the entire world, it is important to get control over Europe. Spykman’s notorious doctrine recommends everyone who seeks to get control over Europe to establish control over three areas – Spain in the west, Norway in the north and over the Balkans in the south. It is the very territory we are located in. It is a wrong belief that Montenegro is not important due to its small territory.
Anti-Russian hysteria and anti-Russian sentiment in Montenegro seem absurd after three centuries of very good relationships of Russia and Montenegro. I think those relations have turned Montenegro into a platform for NATO to demonstrate its might. Montenegro’s example could become a message to the other countries. I am very sorry to see all this and we are doing our best now to correct that great historical injustice. Most of the Montenegrin people have always considered the Russian people as their closest friends after Serbs. The abovementioned public opinion survey showed that in response to the question about the friendly countries, citizens of Montenegro rated Serbs the first (82%) – it is natural since we are the same people and we lived in the same country – and Russians the second (64%). NATO (35%) and USA (36%) proved in the bottom of the list. What is happening in Montenegro now, sanctions on Russia - all this is illegitimate.
Why did they in Montenegro stage the state coup? They sought to discredit and demonize all the local forces opposing integration into NATO. All the opponents of NATO faced terrorism allegations, including the Montenegrins who considered themselves as Serbs. This is “democracy” under pressure of the West: outspoken critics of the regime, including oppositionist parliamentarians Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević, are charged with terrorism, whereas NATO is presented as a doctrine that cannot be opposed.
NATO does not seek our formal accession only. It seeks to undermine our good relations with Russia. They pursue not just political or economic occupation, but total occupation.
“Uprooting” of people is underway in Montenegro. That is why they seek denouncing a serious public movement against NATO membership. The easiest thing was to bring the leaders of that movement against the court making terrorism and treason allegations against them.
Who is behind all this? The trial continues, but I do not expect the verdict of the Montenegrin court, since it is part of that criminal organization. In normal countries there are legislative, executive and judicial powers, whereas in Montenegro, these are three branches of crime. Judging from the organizations and media coverage of the “coup attempt,” NATO and Western special services were behind it.
Montenegro has joined NATO. The relations with Russia have deteriorated after that. Moscow imposed sanctions on a number of Montenegrin government officials. What do you think about the prospects of the Russia-Montenegro relations? Is there any chance to improve them any time soon?
I think we need to build healthy relations with Russia as soon as possible and bring those relations to a more modern level. I mean young people, first of all. We must launch a new era of relations with Russia. Of course, we are experiencing a crucial period not only formally after accessing NATO, but also in a wider sense, since some changes have happened. Following those changes we should exert efforts to launch a new era of the Russian-Montenegrin relations that will be based on our centuries-long friendship, which was promoted by the founding father of our great dynasty Danilo Petrović during his trip to Saint Petersburg in 1714.
We should continue from where he had stopped, but on a more modern ground. We should establish ties with Russian public, political and cultural organizations, the youth of Russia and beyond it. We should create a new network that will link us irrespective of the official political course of the Montenegrin government and mainstream media. Official policy of Montenegro is a marionette that created problems in the bilateral relations. We should seek to create conditions to make the new relations with Russia part of our government policy. Before that happens, we need to work to create a king of civilized patriotism.
What do you mean? What kind of new relations it should be?
The West’s influence has ousted Russian investments and interests not only from Montenegro, but also from the entire region. In Montenegro, Russian investors made great contributions. The West’s powerful propaganda has affected the perception of Russia too. They have created an opinion that Russia is a retrograde, dangerous country and its presence is not desirable, Russia is KGB – this opinion has become official in Montenegro. I insist on the youth because the necessary energy comes from young people. It is very hard to create modern relations of Russia and Montenegro. We have to create a new network of relations based on modern patriotism.
You have said you are planning to run for president in Montenegro. What platform would you present to your voters and what are your chances to victory?
I have talked about this as about possible developments. Things are unpredictable in political life, especially in Montenegro. Our government does not provide even elementary conditions for free elections. Despite this, I think, it is an important idea since its goal is to present certain platform. Within that platform, I spotlight the process of double democratization: domestic democratization as one of our policy’s pillars and foreign policy democratization, which I call “de-Ukrainization.” Why? Montenegro is under Atlantic policy that seeks to “Ukrainize” the entire region, including our country. What is happening here now can be characterized as “Ukrainization on a smaller scale” – they seek to split the people, stir up hatred towards Russia. This is what they did to Ukraine. We will not let them do the same in Montenegro. We must avoid the traps not to engage in potential conflicts.
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NATO already works to ensure Atlantic orientation of Montenegro in future as well, despite any political situations. This circumstance should be taken into account. We should not just focus on the fight against Đukanović. We need to take into consideration also the process that will follow the change of power. We will face more serious challenges after the era of Đukanović.
What would you say if anyone in Montenegro asked you today “What is Russia”?
I have no other word to say but friendship. This is a beaten phrase. Nevertheless, Russia is a friend. It is not enough to speak about it, it is necessary to develop that friendship. There are a great number of intellectuals, politicians, organizations in Russia with whom we need to establish contacts. We have like-minders in the West too. There is a strong movement in each Western country. One can say that Western elites have “kidnapped” peoples. Ordinary people are against NATO. I saw it everywhere in the West. Values we protect are universal – we are for peace and against violence.
