Podgorica, (MINA) – Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandic has no mandate to turn state jubilees into a platform for revising the character of the Montenegrin state, said head of the Democratic Party of Socialists’ parliamentary group, Andrija Nikolic.

He made this remark in response to Mandic’s speech marking the 20th anniversary of Montenegro’s admission to the United Nations (UN), during which, as he believes, the parliament was misused.

According to Nikolic, instead of dedicating his speech to Montenegro’s restored independence, international recognition and the civic character, Mandic used the anniversary to promote an ideological narrative about Kosovo, which has nothing to do with Montenegro’s admission to the UN.

That, as Nikolic pointed out, is no accident.

“While the Parliament Speaker was in the opposition, he did not recognize the independence of Montenegro. Today, when this is no longer possible, he is trying to change the character of the state. He is no longer attacking the existence of Montenegro, but its values ​​and identity”, said Nikolic.

He warned that Mandic, as Parliament Speaker, has no mandate to turn state jubilees into a platform for revising the character of the Montenegrin state.

As he emphasized, the day of Montenegro’s UN admission belongs to all its citizens and symbolizes the international recognition of their freely expressed will, not anyone’s national or party project.