Montenegrins protest: NATO plans artillery strike on picturesque mountain
Residents of Mount Sinjaevina in Montenegro and Metropolitan Ioannikiy of the Budimljan-Nikšići SOC spoke out sharply against the plans of the local Ministry of Defense to turn the picturesque place into a NATO training ground.
Montenegrins said they were ready to block roads to prevent NATO artillery exercises.
“The mountain, which is in the center of the constellation of great and ancient shrines - the monasteries of Moraca, Dobrilovin, the Holy Archangels on Tara, Podmalinski and Bijela, is itself holy and blessed, and we should not desecrate and poison it,” said Metropolitan Ioannikiy. “Throughout our entire past, as a mother, she abundantly fed generations of our ancestors, was a refuge for many fighters for, a stronghold of protection from the enemies of our Motherland.
Its medicinal herbs, clean air and water, unpolluted meadows and pastures must be preserved at all costs for the health and survival of our and future generations. Pollution of this mountain, which by its geographical location represents the heart of Montenegro, by military actions and military means means pollution of it and the most important rivers in our country: Moraca, Tara, Komarnica and Piva, which is a crime with unforeseen consequences for the life and health of people.” .
In turn, local residents, knowing about the plans of their own military, who were ready to destroy a unique natural complex for the sake of NATO membership, united in the public initiative “Save Sinyaevina.” They initiated an appeal to the Minister of Defense of Montenegro with an appeal to abandon the intention to create a military training ground on the mountain and declare Sinjaevina a regional natural park, which was signed by several hundred people. And they threatened to lie under the wheels of military vehicles in order to prevent artillery exercises.
“The analysis of the Agrokombinat “13 July” showed that in just four months in Sinyajevina a thousand tons of cheese, 750 tons of meat, 36 tons of wool, 33 tons of medicinal herbs and 4000 tons of hay are produced, from which you can earn about 11 million euros,” commented on the situation leader of the initiative Alexander Milatovich. – And you can also get millions of euros in income from tourism. And we don’t receive a single euro from military training grounds, so the calculation is clear. “Sinyaevina belongs to livestock farmers and tourists, and it is not permissible to destroy it.”
Social activists are also calling for a referendum to be held among local residents on their attitude towards the NATO training ground.
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