Garčević Comments on Montenegro’s Silence on Ukraine Crisis
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was interviewed for a Radio Free Europe article on an evolving diplomatic situation in Montenegro and the country’s stance on the crisis facing Ukraine.
The article, titled “Vlada Crne Gore ćuti, a ambasade SAD, Rusije i Ukrajine se optužuju (The Montenegrin government is silent, and the embassies of the USA, Russia and Ukraine are being accused),” discusses the recent verbal accusations (“a diplomatic war”) between the United States, Russian, and Ukrainian Embassies in Montenegro. The Russian Embassy, for example, labeled the American comments as “blackmail;” American commentary and the Russian and Ukrainian reactions were driven by the silence of Montenegro’s government over the situation in Ukraine.
Commenting on the situation, Garčević said that despite the recent non-confident vote in the Parliament the government had enough time to react to the ongoing development in and around Ukraine. While on paper foreign policy goals of Montenegro have not been changed since it imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 following the war in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, he argues that the hesitation of the current government to take a clear stance on Ukraine implies that the Russian influence on it is significant. By trying to play “a neutral role” in this situation, Garčević believes that Montenegro is sending the wrong signal to its partners in the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The full article can be accessed on Radio Free Europe‘s website.
During his diplomatic career, Ambassador Vesko Garčević dealt with issues pertinent to European security and NATO for almost 14 years. In 2004, he was posted in Vienna to serve as Ambassador to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He had been a Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School. Learn more about Ambassador Garčević on his faculty profile.