Gandel: Parties that were negative towards NATO and the EU can hardly be expected to implement a pro-European policy

The Ambassador of Slovakia in Montenegro, Boris Gandel, says that Slovakia shares many values with the USA and Germany, which recently sent a clear message that the new government must be composed only of pro-European and Euro-Atlantic forces, and that they often have identical views on several issues related to international politics.
Gandel points out that one of the achievements of democracy is free parliamentary elections, where citizens decide which political parties will enter parliament, after which they negotiate the formation of a ruling coalition.
In most cases, cooperation is agreed upon by parties that are close to each other both programmatically and in terms of values - stresses Gandel and adds that the responsibility lies with the leaders of these parties and above all with the mandate holder, who is entrusted with the composition of the government, to form a coalition that will work on the welfare of the country and other citizens and the fulfillment of the country's strategic goals.
According to him, the previous negotiations indicated that the government could be a political force that has repeatedly defined itself negatively towards NATO and the EU, so it is difficult to expect them to be really interested in implementing a pro-European policy in practice. .
That, as the Slovakian ambassador says, of course raises certain questions and doubts about whether joining the EU as soon as possible is really the strategic goal of the winner of the June elections, but as he adds, let's wait a little longer "because until everything is agreed, nothing is agreed".
Gandel points out that they will respect the government that results from free democratic elections, but at the same time they must respect that they will decide based on that how they will communicate and cooperate with such a government.
Gandel says that in the process of forming the Government, it is not about Slovakia and its wishes, but about the responsible relationship of Montenegrin political leaders.
Seventy to eighty percent of the population of Montenegro continuously supports the country's entry into the EU, which is a huge number and a factor that can hardly be ignored by someone who wants to stay in politics, to be successful and to have the widest possible support, especially if this is his declared goal - says Gandel and adds that this is about the future of our country and future generations.
Gandel cites an example from Slovakia in the 1990s, when that country found itself practically in international isolation from its Western partners after they had an authoritative prime minister, Vladimir Mečiar, who was closer to the Eastern vector than the Western one.
Although he officially claimed otherwise, his actions spoke in clear language. Even one of the last visits before the parliamentary elections in 1998 was aimed at Moscow and not at Brussels - explains Gandel.
He adds that eventually the West practically stopped communicating with him.
We, ordinary citizens, were literally frustrated by the fact that in 1997, at the NATO summit in Madrid, not only were we not invited to become part of the next wave of enlargement, but we were not even mentioned among the countries with which they counted on the future - explains Gandel.
As he says, Slovakia seems to have ceased to exist, and the then American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said of Slovakia that it was a black hole on the map of Europe, and the change only came after the parliamentary elections that brought about an upheaval.
But, as Gandel explains, they first had to gain the trust of their future European and transatlantic allies.
We had to show them that we are truly credible and responsible partners, and only then did the imaginary door of Europe and the North Atlantic Alliance open for us - says Gandel.
He also points out that "if you want to be part of an elite club, it's not enough just to say you want to join it".
You have to prove that you belong to it, that you can be trusted, that you will not take counterproductive steps that contradict your statements, that you deserve membership and that your partners can rely on you, as well as you on them - concludes Gandel and adds that based on their experience, he can only recommend that it is always better and less painful to learn from other people's mistakes than from your own.
POBJEDA