Stanivuković again about Montenegro: "32 letters of Montenegrin alphabet fictitious"

Stanivuković again about Montenegro: "32 letters of Montenegrin alphabet fictitious"

He added that he respects those who have a different opinion.

On Monday, the entire Montenegrin opposition and part of the ruling parties condemned the statement of Stanivuković, who denied the Montenegrin nation during his stay in Montenegro.

He said at a gathering of like-minded people that he believes that "Montenegrins are a fictional nation".

However, today he said that it was somehow taken out of context, but he reiterated that the Montenegrin alphabet does not exist and that it was invented, and that the term "Montenegrin" is the same for him as the term "Vojvodina".

"I want to say that someone cut six seconds and made an opinion based on that. I had a part when I say that everyone has the right to feel as they want and no one should convince them that something is or is not. I also have the right to have my position.

My opinion is that a Montenegrin cannot be separated from the identity of the Serbian people. For me, when someone says that he is a Montenegrin, it is the same as saying that he is a citizen of Vojvodina. "He writes in Serbian" and that his "nationality is Serbian" and his "soul is Slavic".

I consider Montenegro as my country. I think that 32 letters (of the Montenegrin alphabet) were invented. What 32 letters? Sorry, but Cyrillic has 30 letters. I have the right to express my position", Drasko Stanivukovic said.

He found himself under criticism for his statements about Montenegrins. He also received life-threatening messages, Stanivuković revealed.

"I received threats to my life. They told me that I was a Chetnik, a nationalist, that they would slaughter me, that I would not come to Montenegro… I did not make this statement from a political but spiritual aspect. I have no voters in Montenegro, this is just my opinion. I can't help it. You have seen that some media in the Federation ask me to say Kosovo, and I say Kosovo and Metohija. Or RS, and I say Republika Srpska. People gave their life for those things. My ancestors gave their lives for those things, my uncle", Stanivuković is categorical.

However, although he has his own position, which he does not want to change, the mayor of Banja Luka appreciates and accepts others who think differently from him.

"Even today, I express great love for a Croat, a Bosniak, a Montenegrin… for a man who thinks differently. I understand certain statements (made against him), they must defend a part of the electorate. I always opened the door, while others closed it for me," said Stanivuković.

He then commented on the Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica, which was adopted by the Montenegrin parliament. "I have not commented on the Resolution on Srebrenica before. The third country talks about other events, and then condemns if someone from Republika Srpska defends the shrines in Montenegro. Unfortunately, anything is possible in politics. As a young man, I have my own beliefs, my own path," Stanivuković concluded.

In the end, he underlined that he loves Montenegro, that he has been spending his vacation there for more than 20 years and that in a way he considers it his homeland.