Milatovic, Brussels Condemn Glorifying Mladic in Montenegro

The crisis over how Montenegrin officials treat the legacy of Ratko Mladic reached the top ranks of European diplomacy yesterday, after both the EU Delegation in Podgorica and the office of President Jakov Milatovic issued statements within a little over two hours of each other. For Serbia, which is negotiating the same rule of law chapters and carrying the same legacy of the 1990s wars as Montenegro, the message from Brussels carries real weight: relativizing war crimes remains the yardstick by which the whole region’s readiness for EU membership is measured, not just Podgorica’s.

In brief

• The EU Delegation in Podgorica replied in writing to NGOs that signed a September 9 appeal against glorifying war criminals
• The trigger was Assembly Speaker Andrija Mandic’s condolences to the son of Ratko Mladic, convicted in The Hague
• President Jakov Milatovic’s office released its statement at 6:37 PM
• Part of the civil sector is criticizing lawmaker Jelena Nedovic over remarks made in Bratunac

What Brussels Told Podgorica

The EU Delegation to Montenegro replied in writing yesterday to NGOs and civic activists who signed a September 9 appeal over the condolences that Assembly Speaker Andrija Mandic sent to the son of Hague convict Ratko Mladic. More than 70 NGOs and activists signed the appeal, and the Delegation’s response came at a moment when pressure on Montenegrin institutions had already been building for weeks.

“There is no place for glorifying war criminals, either in the EU or in candidate countries,” the EU Delegation said in its response, as reported by RTCG.

The Delegation added that Montenegro, as a candidate country, is obligated to respect the rulings of international courts, protect the dignity of victims and their families, and reject any glorification or relativization of war crimes.

The Prime Minister Stays Silent, PES Speaks in Generalities

Prime Minister Milojko Spajic had not personally commented on Mandic’s gesture as of yesterday. According to RTCG, his party, the Europe Now Movement, limited itself to general statements about abandoning wartime rhetoric, without specifically condemning the act of sending condolences to Ratko Mladic’s son.

Milatovic: Justice Cannot Be Interpreted Selectively

The office of Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic released a statement at 6:37 PM saying that respecting the rulings of international criminal courts is not a matter of political choice but a foundation of the rule of law and an international obligation for Montenegro, particularly given the country’s EU path.

“It is unacceptable to interpret justice selectively, on the principle of accepting what suits me and rejecting what does not. Attempts by public officials to glorify the perpetrators of war crimes are especially dangerous, because they insult the victims, undermine the region’s reconciliation process, and slow down Montenegro’s path toward the European Union,” the statement said.

Sources differ on exactly who is behind the quote. RTCG attributes the statement to the President’s office, while the Borba news portal reports it as a statement made personally by President Jakov Milatovic. The wording is identical in both, the only difference being whether the speaker is the office as an institution or the president himself.

Nedovic Responds to the Civil Sector

Part of the crisis also involves the reaction to Jelena Nedovic, a lawmaker with the Europe Now Movement, who is being criticized by part of the civil sector over remarks she made during a visit to Bratunac, a site where the suffering of Serbs is commemorated, which she visited shortly after the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

“I said that I recognize the rulings of the international courts in The Hague, and I also said that I attended the commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide, but that I also respect all the victims across the territory of the former Yugoslavia,” Nedovic told RTCG.

Nedovic added that in Bratunac, on the day the crime against Serbs was being commemorated there, she saw photographs displayed outside houses of murdered civilians, boys, girls and their parents.

“This kind of target painting by part of the civil sector is simply outrageous and amounts to inciting a lynching,” Nedovic said, according to the Borba portal.

Why This Matters for Serbia

This newsroom previously reported on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s statement that glorifying Mladic has no place in the EU, part of the same story that continued yesterday with the Delegation’s statement in Podgorica. For Serbia, the message is indirect but clear: Brussels applies the same standard to every candidate country grappling with the legacy of the 1990s wars, and the treatment of war criminals remains part of the same rule of law chapter by which both Belgrade and Podgorica are measured.

As of last night, there was no indication that Prime Minister Spajic would comment personally. The NGOs that signed the September appeal are demanding that he publicly condemn both Mandic’s gesture and Nedovic’s remarks, while the question remains open for the days ahead.