Montenegro’s Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) on Thursday published an article by party member and historian Dragutin Papović, accusing Serbia of seeking to undermine Montenegro’s statehood through constitutional changes and federalisation plans.
Papović argued that pro-Serbian parties in Montenegro, backed by Belgrade, aim to turn the country from a civic into an ethnically divided state by granting Serbs constitutive status, changing national symbols and making Serbian the main official language.
He cited academic papers by Serbian researchers Vladan Stanković and Rajko Petrović, which propose models of consociational power-sharing, federalisation along ethnic lines and cross-border cooperation with Serbia and Bosnia’s Serb entity. Papović described these as a “blueprint for the destruction of Montenegro,” warning they would lead to ethnic homogenisation, conflict and eventual secession of Serb-majority areas.
“Such concepts would reduce Montenegro to the borders of 1858 and condemn Montenegrins to survival in enclaves,” Papović wrote. He said the ruling authorities in Belgrade were dissatisfied with the limited influence they gained in Montenegro after the 2020 elections and now sought “institutional mechanisms” to secure permanent control.
Papović argued that despite five years of pro-Serbian influence, Montenegro remains an independent, civic and NATO-member state with an unchanged constitution. He said the opposition’s priority should be to defend the constitutional order and accelerate EU accession to shield Montenegro from outside interference.
“The EU path is the most effective strategy to protect Montenegro’s identity and sovereignty,” Papović said, adding that Serbia may attempt to obstruct the process through regional disputes and pressure in EU negotiations.