Michel cancels visit to Montenegro: Alleged reason is Jasenovac resolution

(Patria) - President of the European Council Charles Michel has cancelled his visit to Montenegro, Montenegrin media report.

Michel was scheduled to visit Montenegro on July 2nd and 3rd, at the invitation of President Jakov Milatović, it was announced last week from Milatović's cabinet.

Citing diplomatic sources from Brussels, Pobjeda reports that the reason for the cancellation is the resolution on the genocide in Jasenovac, which was adopted on Friday in the Montenegrin parliament, by the votes of the parliamentary majority.

According to earlier announcements, it was planned for Milatović to welcome Michel at the residence in Cetinje with the highest military and state honors, and after a press conference, they were supposed to plant a joint tree of friendship in the courtyard of the residence.

Michel's address to the Parliament of Montenegro was scheduled for July 3rd.

Milatović's cabinet has not commented on this matter.

If it turns out that the visit was indeed cancelled due to the adoption of the Jasenovac resolution, it would be a strong message from Brussels, following a series of reactions from Croatia.

We remind you that the Montenegrin Parliament, just 48 hours after receiving a positive report on meeting the temporary benchmarks for chapters 23 and 24 (IBAR), adopted the resolution previously proposed by Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević.

The resolution was adopted despite warnings that such a move could jeopardize Montenegro's further European path, by escalating relations with Croatia, especially concerning a number of open issues such as Prevlaka and the ownership of the ship Jadran.

The Brussels message is a new diplomatic slap in the face to Montenegrin officials, who, despite their declarative commitment to EU membership, led by Andrija Mandić, are pursuing an anti-Western and extremely hostile policy towards Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line with the interests of official Belgrade.

The postponement of Michel's visit is a significant message – that the Brussels administration has justifiably understood the vote on the Jasenovac resolution as a radical and immeasurably damaging turn towards an anti-European agenda, and besides damaging neighborly relations with Croatia, the parliamentary majority's decision could have broader, international consequences, at a time that was supposed to mark the formal entry into the final phase of the pre-accession process.

Ultimately, the message from Brussels is clear – a change in strategic direction and the announced Greater Serbian reckoning, reflecting a fundamental return to the disastrous policies of the nineties, will not be tolerated.

(N.K.)