Čabarkapa: Instead of marking the restoration of independence, MASA is developing projects with the Russian Academy of Sciences
Instead of marking the restoration of independence, the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts is developing projects with the Russian Academy of Sciences, said Programme Coordinator for Active Citizenship at the Centre for Civic Education Sara Čabarkapa.
This non-governmental organization once again points to the concerning continuity of MASA’s cooperation with academic circles and international associations close to the regime of Vladimir Putin, despite Montenegro’s clearly declared foreign policy orientation and its support for Ukraine.
- The Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts continued its cooperation with the International Association of Academies of Sciences even after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, an organization now closely linked to the authorities in Belarus, which has not condemned Russian aggression. Additionally, the Centre for Civic Education addressed MASA requesting information on whether it complies with Montenegro’s sanctions against Russia, as well as an overview of all forms of cooperation with the Russian Federation from 24 February 2022 to the present. They refused this request, claiming they do not possess the requested information, which highlights the lack of transparency in its operations - Čabarkapa emphasized.
However, an insight into the Montenegrin Adacemy of Sciences and Arts Work Programme for 2026 shows the start of an international project with the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), MANU, and the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Srpska is planned - within an agreement with the Electric Power Company of Montenegro - dedicated to Leo Tolstoy and the cultural heritage of the South Slavs.
- The project will be implemented from 2026 to 2028, and institutions from Russia are among the participants. At the same time, MASA has no planned activities with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for 2026, nor are there any planned events marking 20 years since the restoration of Montenegro’s independence - Čabarkapa noted.
An insight into the Yearbook for 2024, which is not publicly available, confirms the continuity of cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
- The same document states that the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts President Dragan Vukčević, during his stay in Moscow in September 2024 for a session of the Council of the International Association of Academies of Sciences, congratulated the Russian Academy of Sciences on its 300th anniversary. In the same year, MASA's Committee for Mathematics and Physics participated in organizing a scientific conference held in Petrovac in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences. At the same time, no cooperation with Ukraine has been recorded - Čabarkapa stated.
The Centre for Civic Education also points out that on March 4, 2022, the Board of the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) suspended the membership of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus due to their connection with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
- Emphasizing that this was done in accordance with international sanctions, but also as an expression of commitment to the principles of academic freedom, human rights, and democracy. ALLEA, of which Montenegro is a member, brings together 60 academies from around 40 countries, both EU member states and beyond, with the aim of promoting science as a global public good - Čabarkapa said.
Several members of the Russian Academy of Sciences are under international sanctions due to their role in supporting Vladimir Putin’s regime and the aggression against Ukraine, which, according to her, further problematizes any institutional cooperation with such structures.
- Among others, Andrei Shutov, a Russian historian and member of the Central Election Commission of Russia, a corresponding member since 2022, is under sanctions by the United States, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, and the EU due to his role in organizing illegal referendums in occupied Ukrainian territories. Vladimir Kashin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues and an academic of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is under U.S. sanctions for his role in the war in Ukraine - Čabarkapa specified.
She adds that MASA has also announced the signing of a Memorandum with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, whose president, Demberel Sodnomsambuu, has close ties with Russia.
- „I am a man of the Russian world, I consider this country my second homeland, and therefore I am ready to defend the interests of my Russian friends“, he said last year at a ceremony where he was awarded the title of honorary professor at Irkutsk National Research Technical University. The title was awarded by the rector of that university, Mikhail Korniakov, who in 2022 publicly supported the aggression against Ukraine by signing a letter of the Russian Union of Rectors calling for the „demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine“ - Čabarkapa highlighted.
The Centre for Civic Education believes that institutions such as the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts must consistently apply the values they publicly advocate.
- Cooperation with structures close to regimes involved in the destruction of Ukraine directly undermines the credibility of the declared support for that country. Therefore, we once again call on the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts to reconsider such forms of cooperation and to align them with Montenegro’s foreign policy orientation, as well as with the principles it itself invokes - Čabarkapa concluded.