Montenegro accuses Russia of trying to destabilize the Balkans
Former Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Đukanović accused Russia of trying to destabilize the situation in the Balkans. He stated on the 21st of February that pro-Moscow groups “deployed a lot of destructive material in Montenegro” in the attempt to organize a coup.
“A new puppet government would serve only the interests of Moscow, which wants to send a message to Europe and NATO, that they can’t expand to the Balkans without Russian consent,” said Đukanović, who was the initiator of his country joining NATO.
Russian officials recently called Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro part of Moscow’s interests in the Balkans, and indicated that these countries must not join NATO. The former Yugoslavian republics never joined the Soviet bloc, and now they are all declaring their intention to join the EU.
However, of these countries, only Montenegro intends to join NATO. The North Atlantic Alliance approved Montenegro’s application for membership, but the ratification process of this decision has now been delayed by member states, including the US.