Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has accused Montenegro of "importing" criminal clans into Serbia, just a day after the arrest of Belgrade police chief Veselin Milic, suspected of covering up a murder linked to organized crime.
While public opinion in Serbia awaits answers to the arrest and dismissal of the capital's police chief, Vučić shifted attention to Montenegro, claiming that "criminal clans from Kotor have killed half of Serbia."
Authorities in Podgorica have not reacted to these statements. Neither the Government of Montenegro nor the Ministry of Internal Affairs responded to Radio Free Europe's questions.
Montenegrin opposition MP Nikola Zirojevic described Vučić's statements as inappropriate and mocked the Serbian president's approach towards Montenegro.
"If you ask Vučić, all of us in Montenegro are Serbs, only criminals are Montenegrins," he said.
According to Zirojevic, the main question is not why individuals from Montenegro have operated in Serbia, but why Serbia has been seen as a favorable territory for criminal activity.
"Perhaps the answer should be sought within the borders of Serbia and in the Serbian executive branch," he declared.
At the center of the scandal is former Belgrade police chief Veselin Milic, who was arrested on suspicion of helping cover up a murder at a Belgrade restaurant. The prosecution suspects that he called the victim and convinced her to come without personal security, while the suspects in the murder were also in the restaurant.
The victim's body has not yet been found, while the Serbian military has also been involved in the search.
However, during his public appearance after Milić's arrest, Vučić did not provide many details about the case, but spoke extensively about Montenegrin criminal clans.
Lawyer and former Serbian police minister, Bozho Prelevic, assessed that Vučić's statements are an attempt to divert attention from what happened in Belgrade.
"The state must explain how a serious murder occurred in a restaurant almost closed to the public and why members of the Ministry of Interior were arrested," he said.
Vučić also mentioned the notorious "Kavač" and "Shkaljar" clans, two criminal groups from the Kotor area that have been involved in bloody clashes in the region and Europe since 2014.
Investigative journalist Vuk Cvijic said that Serbian and Montenegrin criminal groups are mixed and cooperate with each other.
"They cannot be divided by nationality. Many of them have passports of both countries," he declared.
According to him, the fact that these groups operated in Serbia shows that they felt safe there.
Vučić also mentioned the name of Miloš Medenica, convicted in Montenegro for organized crime and currently on the run, claiming that he is being protected by the Kavač clan on Montenegrin territory.
Montenegrin police had previously stated that the videos published by Medenica on social media may have been created with artificial intelligence, although experts said there was insufficient evidence for this claim.
Vučić's statements also come on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Montenegro's independence. The Serbian president refused to participate in official celebrations and stated that it would be "shameful" for him to celebrate Montenegro's separation from Serbia.
The Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs described these statements as politically irresponsible. /REL
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