Another Side of the Coin? – Not All Montenegro is Happy with NATO Membership
Montenegro just became the 29th member of NATO – a remarkable feat that still remains unachievable for Georgia, at least in the near future, if we heed what we’re told by various politicians and dealmakers from Brussels, Washington and like. But apparently, not everyone in Montenegro shares the same passion for the EuroAtlantic. A sizeable part of society, mostly of Serbian origin, is voicing its displeasure with the government and the Alliance, in particular. GEORGIA TODAY and Panorama TV Show talked with one such person – A journalist from Podgorica, Igor Damjanovic, who lost no time in telling us that there is, proverbially speaking, no cake and it’s all a big lie.
How will Montenegro’s Nato membership change the security situation in the Balkans?
Montenegro’s NATO membership will change nothing. If you pay attention to the circumstances in the West, and NATO’s other members, for example, Turkey, the UK, Germany or France over recent years, most terror attacks happened in NATO countries. NATO attracts terrorist groups. NATO membership is nothing positive to stabilize the Balkans, but it could expose us to terrorist groups.
Why did Montenegro’s government not hold a referendum on membership?
The state of Montenegro is ruled not by a government but the NATO junta who stole the last election. 2015 saw the last survey of public opinion. 81% of the Montenegrin population believed that joining NATO should be put to a referendum. The government did not respect the people’s will and restricted elementary democratic rules. Support from citizens about entering NATO never exceeded 35%.
What’s the alternative?
The alternative to NATO is a neutral military position. Such, as used by Switzerland and Austria, have provided excellent economic possibilities for prosperity for those countries as well as political prosperity. They are perhaps the most stable societies in Europe. For the Balkans, the most reasonable and best way for political stability is neutrality. What’s NATO going to defend us from – each other? Thank you, we can handle that ourselves.
If we compare Montenegro and Georgia in terms of reforms, democracy, human rights and other parameters which are necessary ones to get into NATO, we are not LAGGING BEHIND; ARE, IN FACT ahead, compared also to Serbia. Was taking Montenegro into NATO a political decision?
If Georgia becomes a NATO member it will be a disaster for your country because no country which joined NATO within the past 15 years received anything good from NATO. Take Croatia and Albania: nothing positive has happened in the Albanian economy and during the first 4 years of Croatia’s membership in NATO, investments decreased four fold. In addition, look at Bulgaria. NATO blocked the South Stream just because it was in conflict with the interests of the US and NATO to put pressure on Russia. When you become a NATO member, the national interests of your country are compromised.
Are you blaming the Balkan governments’ corruption on NATO? And then again, when it comes to Georgia, it was Russia which occupied more than 20% of Georgian territories, not NATO. All Georgia wants is a shield from NATO to deter further Russian occupation
Sorry, but if you’re going to present NATO as paragons of virtue and defenders of the weak and small, I’m going to debate that point. Do you know what happened in 1999? NATO bombed Serbia and Montenegro without permission of the UN SC. They used very toxic weapons. Because of NATO’s use of depleted uranium, thousands of people die each year. Tens of thousands die from cancer, leukemia and genetic diseases. And you want me cheer for my country’s NATO membership? I cannot do that.
Vazha Tavberidze