President of the Islamic Community of Montenegro, Rifat Fejzic: “Politicians Iicited recent events”
Tensions targeting Turkish citizens in Montenegro continue following a fight on Saturday evening in which a Montenegrin youth was stabbed and injured, an incident that also involved Turkish nationals.
Rifat Fejzic, President of the Islamic Community of Montenegro, emphasized that groups targeting Turkish citizens were incited by politicians. Commenting on social media posts showing crowds marching with slogans like “Turks out”, Fejzic stated:
"Certain politicians deliberately provoked a segment of the population by inflating the number of Turks in Montenegro to around 110,000 and spreading false information."
He stressed that the source of the problem is not the Turks, but those attempting to destabilize Montenegro and hinder its path to the European Union.
Police Intervention and Security Measures
According to Kosovo-based RTK Türkçe, authorities detained individuals preparing to attack Turkish citizens and confiscated numerous baseball bats. In Podgorica, protests targeting Turkish nationals prompted heightened police security, preventing planned attacks and seizing weapons.
The violence began after a fight on Saturday evening, which escalated tensions against Turkish citizens. Demonstrators marched from the Zabjelo district to the city center under heavy police supervision, chanting anti-Turkish slogans. Police also detained a Turkish and an Azerbaijani citizen suspected of involvement in the stabbing, along with 45 other Turks suspected of lacking legal residence permits.
Government Response and Visa Measures
Following the incidents, Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milojko Spajic announced the temporary suspension of visa-free travel for Turkish citizens. The country is home to approximately 13,300 Turkish nationals.
Political Reactions
Some reports indicate that Bosniak Party leader and Foreign Minister Ervin İbrahimovic threatened to leave the government if visa restrictions were imposed on Turkish citizens. Meanwhile, the Albanian minority party, Forca, criticized the government’s decision, warning that it could negatively impact Montenegro–Turkey relations and that the situation could have been resolved through the judiciary rather than affecting diplomatic ties.
