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Vucic to Meet Orthodox Worshippers in Montenegro on January 6 Amid High Tensions

Politiko 3 Janar 2020, 11:13

Vucic to Meet Orthodox Worshippers in Montenegro on January 6 Amid High Tensions

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will spend January 6 - the Orthodox Christmas Eve - with Serb Orthodox believers in Northern Montenegro, it was confirmed to Tanjug news agency on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday tabloid, Blic first reported Vucic would probably go to Montenegro, quoting unofficial sources.

Vucic’s visit to Montenegro Serbs is aimed at showcasing “unity of the Serbian people in preserving Serbian sanctities and churches” following last month’s adoption of the Law on Religious Freedoms by the Parliament of Montenegro, which the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) considers discriminatory towards it, especially regarding its property in Montenegro.

Under the new law, churches in Montenegro must provide proof of ownership of buildings and land that had been in their possession before 1918, or else face expropriation. SPC as a religious community with by far largest assets will find it hard to prove ownership of much older possessions, as modern cadastral registers have mostly been introduced in the region after 1918.

The adoption of this law sparked street protests in several cities in Montenegro, and Serb officials also voiced their concern with this law.

Mass rallies of SPC believers were held in several cities and towns in Montenegro on Thursday too, to protest against the contentious law on religious freedom.

In Berane alone, in the north of the country, a record 10,000 citizens gathered between the city center and the Djurdjevi stupovi monastery, located three kilometers away, Podgorica-based Vijesti reported on its website.

Similar numbers of protesters gathered in Bijelo Polje, also in northern Montenegro, at a protest led by SPC priests. Several thousand people also gathered on Thursday evening in Montenegro capital, Podgorica, Radio and Television of Serbia report.

Vucic met with SPC Patriarch Irinej on Tuesday to discuss the situation following the adoption of the law.

“We are not happy with these developments. We have nothing against the state of Montenegro. It was independent once, why not be independent today, but our relationship should not change because we are one nation. Today, there are people who deny that and who claim that Montenegrins are a distinct nation. May they decide for themselves, but history too will make its judgment”, Irinej said after the meeting.

Vucic said the most important thing is to appease tensions, following the adoption of the law in Montenegro.

“I am convinced no one in Montenegro feels that it would be good to occupy the Ostrog monastery [one of the most important SPC site in Montenegro]. Hopefully, no one has come up with that idea. What we can do, and possibilities there are limited is to explain what this is all about through knowledge and expertise - from the Venice Commission to many other bodies and organizations – and to send a clear message to the Serbian people that we are united and that there is no difference between us Serbs, regardless of borders which we have accepted”, Vucic said.