Montenegro’s foreign ministry has summoned Serbia’s ambassador over a controversial post on an official Serbian government social media account that Podgorica views as inappropriate interference in its internal affairs.
Nebojša Rodić, Serbia’s ambassador to Montenegro, was called in for talks by Montenegro’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after a post by “Serbia in English,” a profile managed by the Serbian government’s Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy, drew criticism in the Montenegrin capital. The social media message included a video meme featuring the cartoon character Homer Simpson and addressed Montenegro’s language policy.
The post said Montenegro “does not recognise the Serbian language spoken by 43% of its citizens,” adding that “respecting the rights of the majority language is also an EU value,” in reference to recent coverage of Montenegro’s progress in European Union accession negotiations.
Montenegrin officials interpret the post as undue interference in domestic politics, particularly because it was issued from a communications channel linked to the Serbian government, local media reported. Diplomats were expected to seek clarification on the views expressed in the post.
Rodić has previously avoided commenting publicly on internal political and institutional developments in Montenegro, the reports said. Neither the Serbian government nor Montenegro’s foreign ministry have issued official public statements on the matter.