Montenegro visa!

While we were distracted at home by the espionage case invented to completely bury İmamoğlu in Silivri and officially seize the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, by football referees betting on matches, and by the outdated Eurofighter jets that the UK is pushing onto Turkey, we suddenly realized that Montenegro, a tiny country in the Balkans, has lifted visa exemptions for our citizens holding ordinary passports.

Unless they hold a valid visa for Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Ireland, the USA, the United Kingdom, or the Schengen area.

Yet, it was so nice; after saving a few pennies throughout the year, even if we couldn't go to Greece, Italy, or similar places to avoid being ripped off by greedy tourism merchants in Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, or Antalya, we could easily turn our route to Montenegro, thinking "the doors are open anyway."

Now, we are left empty-handed.

From now on, our citizens who dream of going to see Budva, swimming in the sea in Petrovac, eating clams, climbing to the top of the fortress in Kotor to take a "story" for Instagram or a video for TikTok, listening to someone tell how Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha stormed these lands, or having a fish soup at Tri Lipe, will have to beg at consulate doors for a three-day "single entry visa."

Of course, they didn't make such a decision out of the blue.

Their apparent excuse was that a Montenegrin citizen was subjected to a knife attack by Turks in the Zabjelo neighborhood of Podgorica.

Afterward, incidents broke out, the incited public damaged some businesses and vehicles belonging to Turks, and at the end of the day, many citizens of Turkey and Azerbaijan were detained.

It is as clear as day that this is not a simple bureaucratic measure on the Adriatic coast. Because in the Balkans, no move is made solely for the reasons that appear on the surface.

Let's put on our reading glasses and look at the background of the issue.

It is no secret that Montenegro has been uncomfortable with the increasing presence of Turks for a long time.

There are 13 thousand citizens of the Republic of Turkey within a population of 630 thousand. Turks are not only increasing in number in this country. It is known that they have gained power, especially in real estate investments, in a way that disrupts social balances.

Luxury residences with sea views overlooking the Adriatic are marketed specifically to Turkish citizens.

In recent years, those who did not want to invest their money in Turkey found themselves in Budva and Kotor; they established companies, or if that didn't work, they opened restaurants, bars, or started operating hotels or souvenir shops.

For example, while walking inside the world-famous fortress of Kotor, the banter among Turkish shopkeepers in the narrow streets makes you feel like you are walking in a bazaar in Kuşadası or Marmaris.

They are even working as taxi drivers and barbers!

Turkish capital has transformed the coastline from Budva to Kotor. But this rapid economic presence has emerged in some local circles as "demographic anxiety." It has fueled micro-nationalism.

Almost all Turks were aware that a racist reaction against them was rising. Montenegrins were openly saying they did not want Turks. Cultural differences, incompatibility of the social fabric, historical animosity, class segregation... You can look for the reason wherever you want!

But let us also underline that while Turks were coming here, they brought every social disease we have in our own country with them.

For instance, Montenegrins are "conservative" in their own way, but they only became acquainted with crimes like "honor killings" and "violence against women" after Turks started coming to their country.

The vast majority of those who migrated are just trying to earn a living. But there is also a group of scoundrels who have broken their chains, and they are the real concern of the Montenegrin government.

Of course, they knowingly and willingly gave the green light back then so that they would bring their black money. The Russian mafia, the Serbian mafia, the Albanian mafia, and the Turkish mafia are all running wild in Montenegro.

Money from drug trafficking, arms smuggling, the sex industry, virtual betting, and gambling is flowing into the country in torrents.

And it is being laundered nicely through real estate and luxury hotel management.

In short, this small country has quickly become a paradise where money earned from illegal activities is stashed.

Those who are curious can look at the yachts anchored in the Porto Montenegro marina in Tivat. They have even redefined the concept of "luxury." Montenegrin politicians have taken their share of the money entering their country and have found a way to finance their budgets.

Until recently, no one had many complaints, and things were going smoothly.

But now they are trying to hit the brakes.

Because the light at the end of the EU tunnel has appeared.

It is a matter of closing the negotiations by the end of 2026 and completing full membership in 2028.

If the government is sincere in this goal, it must now eliminate corruption, fight organized crime effectively, and cut off the flow of black money into the country.

Although Montenegro has set a 2028 target, this date is not binding. The pace of reform and the political will of EU member states are extremely important.

That is why, while they are trying to bring their visa policy closer to Schengen standards on one hand, they are also trying to make progress on the fight against money laundering, which the EU is highly sensitive about.

Of course, it is not very easy.

These are on one side of the issue.

On the other side is the Slavic solidarity that has emerged as a reaction to Turkey's changing Balkan policy.

This step by Podgorica was actually the quietest link in the chain that has been changing Balkan balances in recent months.

The first link of that chain was the Bayraktar TB2s rising into the skies of Kosovo.

Let us try to explain as best as we can.

Turkey's sale of UAVs to Kosovo was a new phase in Ankara's Balkan policy. The "soft power" line, which had been running for many years through cultural ties, religious proximity, and the Ottoman legacy, had now left its place to diplomacy conducted through the defense industry.

The delivery of Bayraktar TB2s to the Kosovo army was not just an export success, but also meant a security choice.

With this step, Pristina gave a clear message to both Turkey and the West.

"Kosovo wants to be a full part of the Western security architecture."

But NATO is no longer the only thing at the center of that architecture. The US network in the region is being rewoven, and Israel is also in this network.

Let's rewind the tape a bit.

Kosovo established official diplomatic relations with Israel on February 1, 2021. On March 14, 2021, it announced that it would open an embassy in Jerusalem.

Thus, Kosovo became the first Muslim-majority country to open an embassy in Jerusalem. This step was, in a sense, the Balkan extension of the Trump administration's "Abraham Accords" model.

Washington turned Pristina into both a geopolitical outpost against Serbia and a strategic partner of Israel in Europe.

Today, the Kosovo army is being modernized, conducting joint exercises with the US, and establishing contacts with Israel regarding defense technology.

And Turkey entered this triangle with the sale of Bayraktar TB2s. This was a strategic opportunity for Ankara. However, this move shook the stones in the region.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who once was very close with Tayyip Erdoğan, openly reacted to Kosovo being equipped with Turkish UAVs, saying, "Some countries are upsetting the balance of power in the Balkans."

It was not hard to understand who was being referred to.

According to Vucic, Ankara was exporting not only technology to Kosovo but also the West's regional strategy.

Thus, Serbia began to feel the indirect pressure of both Turkey and the US.

This anger was not limited to diplomatic messages.

A "cold diplomacy" against Turkey began from countries in Serbia's immediate vicinity. Montenegro's visa decision came right after this atmosphere.

Before concluding the article, let's ask the ten-point expert question:

In this new Balkan order that is beginning to take shape in the shadow of Bayraktar, is Turkey really strengthening its friends, or is it opening new fronts?

Let's end our article by saying that the answer begins at the Montenegrin border gate.