
Montenegro’s deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic has come to Belgrade to meet with the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije, N1 has learned.
Montenegrin media said that he flew to Belgrade on a commercial flight, traveling with an official of his URA Civil Movement. He is said to be on a private visit to the Serbian capital.
Abazovic has fallen out with Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic over the past two weeks, with both of them launching initiatives for each other’s dismissal and, in Abazovic’s case, the formation of a minority government. One of the points of contention is the signing of an agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church to resolve the status of the Church and its Montenegro-Littoral Bishopric whose ownership of some monasteries and churches has been disputed by Montenegrin nationalists. The Serbian Orthodox Church and that bishopric have been present in Montenegro for several hundred years.
The Montenegrin government met on Wednesday in a session chaired by Krivokapic to express readiness to sign the agreement with the church as soon as possible. Krivokapic is seen as having delayed the agreement several times.
The Montenegro-Littoral Bishopric said that it is not lending its support to any of the sides in the political dispute and will not take part in any inter-party deal making.