The Podgorica High court will pronounce the verdict in the repeated coup plot trial on 12 July. One of the accused is the Montenegro Parliament Speaker and Leader of the New Serb Democracy, Andrija Mandic. Speaking in a show aired on Prva TV last night, he called on leaderships of both Serbia and Republika Srpska to visit Montenegro on 12 July and send a “message of unity”.
He sent the invitation a day after marking the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide and a day ahead of the Montenegro’s Statehood Day and the 13 July Uprising of Montenegro.
Coincidence or not – it’s indicative that Serbian authorities were invited to come to Montenegro on the day when the verdict against Mandic is supposed to be declared. The invitation may also be interpreted as if Mr Mandic’s expecting support from Serbia and Republika Srpska, so that they can thus demonstrate “unity”, but it might be that he’s making pressure on Montenegrin judicial bodies as well.
Two Russian nationals, around 20 Serbian and three Montenegrin nationals, including the leaders of the former pro-Russian Democratic Front (DF) – Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic – were accused of plotting the attack on the institutions and the then Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic, on the day of the 2016 parliamentary elections.
Commenting on Mandic’s invitation, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said earlier today that he was ready to visit Montenegro.
