Serbia will protect Orthodox compatriots in Montenegro
The Montenegrin authorities are trying to artificially shift onto Serbia their responsibility for the crisis in the country caused by the adoption of an anti-Orthodox law that allows the confiscation of monasteries and churches of the Serbian Church in favor of local schismatics.
This was stated by the head of the Serbian Foreign Ministry, Ivica Dacic, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“We absolutely do not accept the accusations that come from high-ranking Montenegrin officials who shift responsibility for the crisis in Montenegro to official Belgrade and Serbia,” Dacic said, commenting on the refusal of the Serbian ambassador in Podgorica to meet with representatives of the Montenegrin foreign ministry.
At the same time, Dacic expressed his disagreement with the adoption of the law “On Freedom of Religion,” which, in his opinion, is directed against the rights and freedoms of the Serbian people and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, RTS reported.
The head of the Serbian Foreign Ministry noted that Belgrade has the legal right and obligation to protect the rights and freedoms of Serbs in Montenegro, who make up 29% of the country's population. The minister emphasized that the adopted law could threaten the Serbian shrines of the Orthodox people in Montenegro.
“Did we pass this law? They say Montenegro's independence is under threat. Who is she in danger of? Who and when mentioned that Montenegro should not be independent? We are interested in good relations with Montenegro, and this is in the interests of the Serbian people living in Montenegro. We are not for further aggravation of the situation, but for resolving issues through dialogue,” Dacic said.
Commenting on student protests at the Montenegrin embassy in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that he had taken all measures to ensure the security of the diplomatic mission. He also condemned the burning of the Montenegrin flag by demonstrators.
On the night of December 27, the Parliament of Montenegro adopted by a majority vote the law “On Freedom of Religion and Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities” amid mass protests throughout the country. There were no votes against or abstentions, since the document was considered after the police detained all opposition deputies.
Mass protests are taking place in the cities of Berane, Bijelo Polje, Pljevlja, Podgorica, Bar, Budva, Kotor, Niksic. Over 55 people were detained, including opposition deputies. The Metropolis of the Montenegrin-Primorsky SOC reported that on the Djurdjevica Tara Bridge in the north of the country, police at night during a protest “cruelly beat Bishop Methodius and the believers who defended him with batons and kicked them.”
Earlier, President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic said that he would seek autocephaly for the “Montenegrin church” following the example of Ukraine. The Law “On Freedom of Religion and Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities” provides for the confiscation of 650 shrines, including the Ostrog Monastery, widely known in the Orthodox world.
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