PODGORICA – Government of Montenegro has, at its latest meeting, supported the Initiative for the Establishment of a Regional Commission for the Establishment of Facts on War Crimes and Other Serious Violations of Human Rights in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia (RECOM).
Their Conclusion was made less than a week after the meeting of the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Duško Marković and the Initiative’s delegation led by Nataša Kandić, during which Marković expressed “full support for its establishment” and wishes ” for all of countries in the regions to support (RECOM)”.
In the Conclusion, it is stated that “in relation to the foreign political position of Montenegro, on the question of this Initiative, from the political aspect and in the context of the importance of regional cooperation, there is no obstacle for Montenegro to express its willingness to sign a Declaration on the establishment of RECOM as a confirmation of its commitment to show responsibility on these sensitive issues”.
The same document adds that “Montenegro has a continuos positive attitude towards RECOM” and that Montenegro has contributed to “shaping the Statute of RECOM and its alignment with the constitutional and legal frameworks of the countries of the former Yugoslavia”.
“We welcome Prime Minister Duško Marković’s readiness to show the commitment of Montenegro to participate in the establishment of RECOM at the summit of the Berlin Process in London, by signing the Statute on the establishment of RECOM, and through future vigorous support of this process, which has great importance for reconciliation in the region” , statement by RECOM and the Center for Civic Education (CCE) reads.
The Coalition for RECOM and CCE estimate that the conclusions of the Montenegrin Government could be strong incentives for other governments in the region, that Montenegro can take a more proactive approach in advocating activities for the establishment of RECOM, bearing in mind the fact that “only Montenegro does not have serious open issues with any of the countries of the former Yugoslavia to which the Initiative refers”.
Initiative for RECOM seeks the signing of an intergovernmental agreement for the establishment of RECOM, i.e. the Proposal for the Establishment of RECOM, by all Prime Ministers of the Western Balkans, within the framework of the Berlin Process, at the session in London in 2018. The declaration was prepared by members of the Regional Expert Team of the Coalition for RECOM, comprised of the envoys of the presidents of the ormer Yugoslav countries, in accordance with the amendments to the Statute of RECOM, which were proposed by representatives of RECOM in consultations with the presidents’ cabinets during 2014.