... particular here about Montenegro, which, following the events of 2016 (an
attempted
“pro-Russian coup by GRU agents”) and until recently officially assumed an openly anti-Russian stance. Podgorica joined the sanctions formally, and President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic repeatedly referred to the Russian threat in his speeches. While this rhetoric was primarily
aimed
at combating the local pro-Serbian and anti-NATO opposition, which the authorities accused of having ties with the Russian secret services, relations with Russia were undermined ...
... Balkan states themselves.
Ekaterina Entina, Dejan Novakovic:
Negotiations on Kosovo 2019 — Opportunities and Limitations for Russia
Long-term Scenario of a “Package” Settlement
The “spontaneous” territorial organization designed for the Balkan ... ... Albania
: the Republic of Albania, most of Kosovo, part of Macedonia, part of Serbia (Bujanovac and Presevo), Ulcinj part of Montenegro;
—
“Great” Serbia
: the Republic of Serbia, the Republika Srpska with access to the sea in the Herceg Novi region ...
... Europe. Second, because the campaign is completely inconsistent with Montenegro’s image as a European country historically and culturally close to Russia, which has been formed over many years. Finally, unless something extraordinary happens, many Russians will go to Montenegro again this summer, and what they see there will significantly diverge from the image presented by the press, which might completely discredit certain publications.
By accepting Montenegro into NATO, Brussels sent other countries a signal that ...
... Russians volunteered to fight in the Balkans. In its arguments Podgorica has recourse to the very same thesis that is often
used by Russian diplomats
: no matter how difficult the situation may be, this cannot erase the age-old ties between the people of Montenegro and Russia. Unfortunately, this does not help Russia. It turns out that Russia is the past and Europe is the future. On the other hand, if these ties are so strong, they will never disappear – much like the respectful relations between Slovakia and ...
... the Balkans today.
The six republics of the former Yugoslavia analyzed in this paper can be divided into three groups. Serbia, which has historically enjoyed a “special relationship” with Russia, can undoubtedly be called a
traditional Russian partner
. Montenegro can be placed in the same category, but with certain reservations. The nature of investment there is somewhat different, as it is corporations that invest in Serbia, while it is individuals who invest in Montenegro (chiefly in real estate and ...
