Open letter to the President of Serbia: Our existence is threatened, we'll disappear

Open letter to the President of Serbia: Our existence is threatened, we'll disappear

Leading Serbian organizations in the field of culture, science and media in Montenegro addressed an open letter to the President and Prime Minister of Serbia.

They are asking President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Ana Brnabić for protection from, as they say, obviously projected assimilation and discrimination that seriously threaten to permanently disrupt the national, religious and linguistic structure of the Serbian population in Montenegro.

Sputnik published the letter signed by the Serbian National Council of Montenegro, the Association of Writers of Montenegro, the Institute of Serbian Culture, Matica Srpska - Association of Members in Montenegro, the Association of Journalists of Montenegro, the Serbian Movement "Njegos" and S-Media in Montenegro:

"Dear Mr. President,

As representatives of Serbian organizations in the field of culture, science and media in Montenegro, we are forced to ask you, the official representatives of the state of the Serbian people, for protection from obviously projected assimilation and discrimination that seriously threaten to permanently disrupt the national, religious and linguistic structure of Montenegro.

The position of the Serbian people in Montenegro is extremely complex and shows that the established majority will of the citizens in the last parliamentary elections does not enable a change in the decades-long annulment of the identity of the Serbian people in Montenegro. Even after more than fifteen years since the violent secession of Montenegro from the joint state with Serbia and almost as long since the adoption of the new Constitution, the Serbian people have not resolved their constitutional and legal status, nor, unfortunately, our political representatives still do not demand it.

At this moment, Serbs in Montenegro do not have the opportunity to use the rights of minority peoples, although we know that Serbs are a constituent people, but also the opportunity to provide themselves with what all national communities living in it have already achieved for themselves. Serbs allegedly belong to the Orthodox majority, where Montenegrins are entitled to everything, and Serbs are only entitled to change their identity.

The same is the case with the Serbian Orthodox Church, which, although with a far larger number of believers, is the only one of the traditional churches that has not resolved its status, so it seems that it is only a matter of time before state pressure on Serbian shrines, churches and monasteries is repeated.

The Serbian people in Montenegro are threatened with silent disappearance if there is no strong cultural and economic connection with their compatriots in the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska. Our expectations are not focused on any kind of domination, as Montenegro wants to present it, but exclusively on the realization of freedoms and equality according to universal standards that apply equally to all communities and citizens. However, this is not possible at this time.

In addition to shutting down Serbian media and Serbian organizations, obscuring the channels of Serbian national televisions and promoting obvious falsifications when it comes to the historical stability of the Serbian people, disrupting relations with the motherland of the Serbian people and countries close to us are almost completely deliberate.

The long-awaited outgoing Government of Montenegro has done nothing to improve and establish relations between Montenegro and Serbia. It confirmed all the decisions of the previous government, which were made against the majority will of the citizens, and continued its estranged attitude towards the Serbian people, especially in the field of law, freedom, culture and education.

Dear brothers and sisters,

We are fully aware of the moment in which we address you and the difficulties that are obvious and that terribly threaten to stop the momentum of stabilization and progress of Serbia and the Serbian people, but we still ask you not to forget Serbs in Montenegro who live as unrecognized people.

Serbs in Montenegro are united in their desire for maintaining unbreakable ties with their compatriots in the Republic of Serbia and the Republika Srpska, with whom we are currently divided by artificially set borders.

Unfortunately, the misunderstanding and opposition of the leaders of the political parties in Montenegro, which is supported by the Serbian people, diminishes the influence and strength of the Serbian people, for which a solution must be found.

We ask and expect all kinds of assistance from you through intensifying of bilateral relations with Montenegro in realizing the legitimate rights and needs of the Serbian people, and until then, if possible, continue providing us with material assistance to preserve cultural, scientific and media organizations of the Serbian people in Montenegro".