TIVAT – A group 87 passengers who arrived this morning in Tivat, Montenegro, on a charter flight from Belgrade were returned to Serbia on the same flight following a security assessment, the Police Directorate and the National Security Agency of Montenegro announced in a joint statement, Radio-Television of Montenegro (RTCG) reports. It was also announced that proceedings will be initiated to issue decisions banning their entry into and stay in the country for a certain period in the future.
The events took place ahead of the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, Montenegro, which is taking place on Friday, 5 June. President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić is expected to participate in the summit.
According to the statement published by RTCG, officers of the Police Directorate and the National Security Agency collected operational and intelligence information that unequivocally indicates that these individuals are persons whose presence in Montenegro would pose a risk to internal and national security, within the meaning of the provisions of the Law on Foreigners.
As part of intensified activities being carried out in connection with the EU–Western Balkans Summit, the Montenegrin police today conducted enhanced border and security checks at the Tivat Airport border crossing. On that occasion, a charter flight on the Belgrade–Tivat route was singled out for inspection and placed under control. The flight had brought 87 citizens of the Republic of Serbia to Montenegro.
“As part of activities aimed at preserving a stable security environment, the security services timely identified persons of security interest and, in accordance with their legal powers and the assessed risks, undertook appropriate official measures and actions, which prevented the aforementioned individuals from staying on the territory of Montenegro, while also serving them with decisions banning their entry,” the Police Directorate and the National Security Agency stated, RTCG reports.
RTCG also published photos of some of the persons who were returned to Serbia, indicating that at least some of them stem from a hooligan background. They were also carrying banners with a slogan “Serbia is winning”, which has, for the past several months, been the slogan of the counter-campaign of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) to the campaign of the student movement in Serbia, the slogan of which is “Students are winning”.
Montenegrin portal Vijesti reported today that citizens of Serbia who were returned “largely have criminal records” and have been mentioned for years in the Serbian media as persons tasked with “special assignments by the SNS regime”.
“Vijesti obtained the names of the passengers who arrived in Montenegro this morning on the charter flight and whom the security services assessed to be an advance group for the delegation of President Aleksandar Vučić attending the EU–Western Balkans Summit, which is being held in Tivat over the next two days”, the article reads.
“Looking at the list, it is not difficult to conclude that these are individuals, some of whom have been charged with serious criminal offences, and whom opposition media outlets and activists in Serbia have for years described as being close to the regime of President Aleksandar Vučić”, it is added.
So far, there have been no official reactions from Belgrade.
Meanwhile, some Serbian opposition politicians strongly condemned the ruling party for the incident. Deputy President of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) Borko Stefanović stated today, in a video posted on social networks, that “Vučić sent a plane full of criminals to act as an informal advance party”.
Stefanović alleged that the French intelligence agencies alerted Montenegrin colleagues that a group of armed people was arriving.
“And now we are left with a shame for Serbia and all our citizens”, Stefanović said.
