As many as 26 diplomatic missions do not have ambassadors

Montenegro has ambassadors in only seven countries, namely in Belgium, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, the Russian Federation, Turkey and France, as well as in five missions - Montenegro to the EU, to NATO, to the UN, to the OSCE as well as the Permanent Mission to the Council of Europe.
Montenegro does not have an ambassador in as many as 26 diplomatic missions, according to information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Pobjeda. Montenegro has ambassadors in only seven countries, namely in Belgium, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, the Russian Federation, Turkey and France, as well as in five missions - Montenegro to the EU, to NATO, to the UN, to the OSCE as well as the Permanent Mission to the Council of Europe.
Montenegro has 38 diplomatic-consular missions (DKP) in the world and has its own diplomatic representatives in all of them, with a difference in the level of diplomatic representation. Currently, 12 diplomatic missions are headed by diplomats with the title of ambassador (Kingdom of Belgium, Republic of Greece, Republic of Italy, Republic of North Macedonia, Russian Federation, Republic of Turkey, Republic of France, Mission of Montenegro to the EU, Permanent Mission of Montenegro to NATO, the Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the UN and other international organizations, the Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the OSCE, the Permanent Mission to the Council of Europe), while the other diplomatic missions are headed by temporary chargé d'affaires - announced Pobjeda from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
When asked how long Montenegro has been without an ambassador in key centers such as Berlin, Washington or London and how much this affects the success of the international connection of Montenegro with the most important Western partners from the MFA, they explain that this does not represent an obstacle in the smooth performance of all activities of the Montenegrin DKP.
The Embassy of Montenegro in Berlin has been functioning at the level of temporary chargé d'affaires since February 25, 2021, in Washington since February 13, 2021, and in London since July 2, 2021. In all embassies where Montenegro does not have ambassadors, the functions of heads of diplomatic and consular missions are performed by temporary chargé d'affaires, which is in accordance with diplomatic practice and does not represent an obstacle in the smooth performance of all activities of the Montenegrin DKP - this department announced.
Chronology of Doom
The collapse of the Montenegrin diplomatic network was started by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Đorđe Radulović, who, a few days after his appointment, began cleaning diplomacy from the cadres of the former "hated regime" and those who did not show loyalty to the implementation of the "Serbian world" project.
Already on December 16, 2020, he decided to recall the ambassador of Montenegro to the Holy See, Miodrag Vlahović, to China, Darko Pajović, the ambassador to Serbia, Tarzan Milošević, the ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Dušanka Jeknić, the ambassador to Italy, Sanja Vlahović, the ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Miša Stanišić, and the ambassador to Germany, Vera Kuliš. On the same day, Radulović's boss Zdravko Krivokapić, during his first visit to Brussels, made serious accusations against these ambassadors, without any argument.
The basic criterion was the withdrawal of non-career diplomats and diplomats who, with their incorrect actions in the last three months, caused damage, not to Zdravko Krivokapić or any political structure, but to Montenegro, Krivokapić told a TVCG correspondent in Brussels.
On January 4, 2021, President Đukanović refused to sign the decrees on the recall of seven ambassadors. He demanded that the minister and the prime minister explain the publicly stated accusations. This was followed by a series of unconstitutional and illegal actions and scandals by the Prime Minister, the Government and the relevant minister.
Krivokapić and Radulović invited all heads of diplomatic and consular missions of Montenegro, 34 of them, from 38 embassies, for consultations on January 4, 2021, with a one-way ticket. Consultations were scheduled for January 18, 2021, but they were never held. Since then, Montenegrin embassies around the world have functioned at the level of chargé d'affaires, which has not been recorded in the diplomatic history of Montenegro.
On February 15, 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro informed seven ambassadors in a verbal note that their mandates were ending, even though the president of the country did not sign the recall decree.
They were denied access to embassies and asked to hand over their duties, make minutes, determine the balance of their bank accounts, hand over their bank cards...
Temporary chargé d'affaires have been appointed. Some of these ambassadors were already in Podgorica for consultations that were never held.
Ambassadors Pajović and Vlahović have decided to respect the Constitution and that their duties will end when the president decides. This was followed by a brutal response from the departmental apostle. The Embassy in Beijing was forcibly occupied, the locks on the doors were changed, and the personal belongings of the ambassador, who was still formally in office, were searched. A similar attempt was made in the Embassy to the Holy See.
The MFA misled the international public and the host countries, when it informed in a verbal note that the mandate of these ambassadors ended on February 16, 2021.
Only when she was properly dressed in world, the government sent the president a normal proposal to recall the ambassador, which Đukanović signed on February 25, 2021. Ambassadors Pajović and Vlahović filed criminal charges against Minister Radulović.
President Đukanović, in accordance with the constitutional powers, in mid-May 2021, of the 18 candidates proposed by the MFA, gave a positive opinion to seven diplomats. Of the remaining 11 candidates, he gave a negative opinion for one number, while for the others it was agreed that additional consultations should be carried out. The president of the country then said that "not even in his dreams" would he support any diplomat-ambassador, who in any way worked and spoke against Montenegro:
There were no additional consultations, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government again tried to bypass the President of the country, sending agreements to the host countries and for controversial candidates for ambassadors, without his knowledge and consent.
On June 15, 2021, Đukanović informed the authorities in these countries that there is no agreement from the authorities on the proposal of candidates who would represent Montenegro in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, China, Hungary, the USA, Slovenia, Serbia, the Holy See, Spain, the UAE and the EU .
Scandalous manipulations
On September 9, 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent the Montenegrin embassies a non-paper about the events in Cetinje on September 4 and 5, in which it is assessed that the police reacted professionally, and that the demonstrators, who were encouraged by the president of the country, Milo Đukanović and members of the parliamentary opposition, initiated serious incidents - "caused fires, attacked the police with stones and allegedly with a 'Molotov cocktail', and shootings were also reported".
The document was drawn up four days after the events in Cetinje and contained a number of inaccurate statements and falsified information about the behavior of state authorities and the reason for the police intervention. The instructions were sent on September 9, the day before the Bureau for Operational Coordination formed the Commission for the analysis of the actions and results of the security sector during the events in Cetinje.
The intention was to criminalize Đukanović and the DPS, as well as all other parliamentary opposition parties, before the EU and the USA.
Due to this procedure, at the proposal of the opposition, Radulović was left without the support of the majority of the members of the Assembly at the end of December 2021. Krivokapić then refused to dismiss him. At the beginning of last year, in the conflict between the Prime Minister and Dritan Abazović, Radulović supported Abazović, so the "supreme apostle" accused him of working against him since September of last year. Krivokapić's and Radulović's last scandal of the state happened on January 26, 2022. Then the Government returned the minister from Skopje and canceled his official visit to North Macedonia.
The last blow to the diplomatic network, as well as to the intentions of the then head of diplomacy, Ranko Krivokapić, to somewhat stabilize the situation, was inflicted by the current technical prime minister. Dritan Abazović quickly, after dismissing Ranko Krivokpić, on November 7, 2022, charged chargé d'affaires - Bojan Šarkić in London, Veljko Milonjić in Washington, Mirsad Bibović in Priština, and Ivana Pajević, ambassador at the Mission of Montenegro to the United Nations in New York - sent orders for immediate return to the country, as late as November 21, although they had been posted a few weeks before!
Then, a few days later, just as quickly, he sent three chargé d'affaires - to Washington Nebojša Todorović (without days of diplomatic experience), to Tirana Đorđe Janković and to Zagreb Damir Grbović.
He decided to take advantage of the newly created position and change the people in the diplomatic network and appoint "his people" through the classic abuse of the Law on Foreign Affairs.
Source - POBJEDA