Zdravko Krivokapic (BETAPHOTO/MONTENEGRO GOVERNMENT/Sasa Matic/DS)
Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic arrived in Belgrade on Nov. 2 and was welcomed in a manner that clearly communicates Serbia’s condescending attitude toward Montenegro, says Vesko Garcevic, a professor of international relations at Boston University and former Montenegrin diplomat, adding that Montenegro should only deal with Serbia if treated as an equal.
“How Prime Minister Krivokapic was greeted upon his arrival to Belgrade speaks volumes, but I would like highlight two things: [that this] confirms the condescending, hegemonic attitude Serbia has [toward its neighbors] in the region and [that it] confirms that Montenegro should [agree to] communicate with Serbia only as an equal partner whose independence Belgrade must accept,” Garcevic wrote on Twitter.
Upon landing at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport for his first official visit to Serbia, Krivokapic was greeted by Branislav Nedimovic, Serbia’s deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture, forestry and water economy – who was dressed in jeans and was not wearing a tie.
Montenegro’s opposition condemned Nedimovic’s attire as an insult, not to Krivokapic personally but rather to the country Krivokapic represents, reports RTCG, Montenegro’s public service.
According to RTCG, the Liberal Party of Montenegro stated that Krivokapic’s reception was an official message from Serbia regarding how it views the Montenegrin government. “This insulting behavior toward Montenegro’s leadership is only another instance of [a general] attitude which [our current] government accepts, thus humiliating not only themselves but the [Montenegrin] state and all its citizens as well. While actor Johnny Depp was greeted by Serbian President [Aleksandar] Vucic himself, Prime Minister Krivokapic was welcomed by Serbia’s minister of agriculture dressed casually in jeans and a jacket, which is a scandalous breach of top-level diplomatic conduct,” the statement reads.
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