Garčević Comments on Violent Clashes in Montenegro
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was interviewed for a Politico article on protests in Montenegro over the inauguration of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC).
In the article, titled “Montenegro rocked by violent clashes over church independence,” Garčević discussed how the weekend’s events are the result of the weaponization and politicization of the church by both sides of the political spectrum. The country has been split over the church since the previous government transferred church property from the SOC to the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, “whose independence is not recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the main Eastern Orthodox authority.” The decision to hold the inauguration ceremony in Cetinje was seen by some as a show of force by the SOC as it was the royal seat of the country and the center of its independence efforts. On this, Garčević commented that “the violent means used by the protesters in Cetinje overshadowed the legitimate reasons and revulsion felt by people in Montenegro with the inauguration being held in Cetinje.”
The full article can be read on Politico‘s website.
During his diplomatic career, Ambassador Vesko Garčević dealt with issues pertinent to European security and NATO for almost 14 years. In 2004, he was posted in Vienna to serve as Ambassador to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He had been a Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as a Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School. Learn more about Ambassador Garčević on his faculty profile.