The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazović, confirmed on Wednesday on the Telegram social network that the Basic Agreement between Montenegro and the Serbian Orthodox Church has been signed. The agreement foresees the regulation of relations between Montenegro and the Belgrade-based Serbian Orthodox Church.
Without prior warning and without the presence of journalists, the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije Peric, arrived in Podgorica on Wednesday morning.
The State Villa “Gorica”, where the Basic Agreement was signed, was put under strict security measures by the police.
The Government of Montenegro has not officially published the date of signing the Basic Agreement, while Prime Minister Dritan Abazović has denied the unofficial information that the signing is scheduled for August 3.
After the signing, Prime Minister Abazović said that an important issue has been put to rest.
“It is an honor and a pleasure that I have been given the unusual opportunity to sign the Basic Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church and to close this matter in a very beautiful, appropriate and dignified way,” declared Abazović.
Meanwhile, Patriarch Porfirije has written “Glory to God” on his Instagram account, along with the announcement that he has signed the Basic Agreement.
After the signing of the Basic Agreement, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of Milo Djukanović was the first to react, which announced that today it will take the initiative of no confidence in the Government of Dritan Abazović.
“The agreement signed today, which is in contradiction with the Constitution of Montenegro, will be suspended immediately after the election of the new Government”, says the announcement of the DPS.
Djukanović’s DPS, as the largest party in Parliament, has so far supported the minority Government of Dritan Abažović. It also provided the necessary support in the Assembly for its functioning.
Whereas the pro-Serbian and pro-Russian party, the Democratic Front, said that the signing of the agreement is a product of their ongoing political struggle for the rights of Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro.
This party said that it has made it clear to Abazović that the agreement with the Church is the most important issue.
“We did this without compromise, which ultimately resulted in today’s signing act,” said the Democratic Front.
