A SACRED PLACE…OR A MILITARY PLAYGROUND? MOVING MOUNTAINS TO SAVE MOUNT SINJAJEVINA

PEACE QUEST CAPE BRETON APPLAUDS CANADIAN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
TO LETTERS OF CONCERN

In January, Peace Quest Cape Breton (PQCB) joined the campaign to stop NATO turning beautiful Mount Sinjajevina in Montenegro into a military training ground and firing range, with calamitous environmental, socio-economic, and cultural consequences. The ‘Save Sinjajevina’ campaign – led by local communities, and supported by the global World BEYOND War network to which PQCB belongs – is now approaching the moment of truth, with large-scale NATO war games scheduled before the end of May. 

Although no Canadian military personnel are expected to participate in the planned exercises, we believe all NATO members have a responsibility to ensure the Alliance acts in accordance with the wishes and needs of the people – and places – it purports to defend. On January 25, PQCB Campaign Coordinator Sean Howard wrote to Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, Minister of Defence Anita Anand, and Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault, requesting urgent interventions to raise the issue of Sinjajevina and “at a minimum…propose a postponement of any scheduled military activities, allowing time for a thorough review of all available options and alternatives – a review that should include consultation with local representatives and groups.” 

On January 31, the Prime Minister’s Office wrote to “assure” us that our concerns “have been carefully reviewed” and forward to Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs. And on March 17, a detailed reply from Joanne Lostracco, National Defence Corporate Secretary, conveyed both the urgency and seriousness with which the Government appears to be taking the matter. The critical paragraph reads – 

“Your concerns about the lack of consultation with local communities who would be negatively affected by the planned NATO training activities have been carefully noted. Please be assured that your letter has been shared with departmental officials who are in communication with the Canadian Ambassador to Montenegro. Supported by the Ambassador’s expertise and knowledge, as well as cooperation with other Government of Canada departments and NATO officials, Canada is working to understand more about the type and scope of the planned activities and their potential impact. Recognizing that this is a pressing issue for the local communities, and one they have been fighting to resolve for many years, Canada is keen to support a lasting solution.”

Members of the ‘Save Sinjajevina’ campaign reacted enthusiastically to the March 17 letter. Campaign President Milan Sekulović wrote to us that “it really means a lot to us, especially because it increases the visibility of our common struggle in Canada, but also in the world”; eco-anthropologist Pablo Dominguez described the Defence Department response as “very surprising” and indeed “outstanding”; and journalist-activist Jorge Pellicer declared: “It has been a great and pleasant surprise for us the response from the Canadian Government and it certainly sheds a ray of light on the possibility that NATO reconsiders its position in Montenegro and abandon the idea of destroying Sinjajevina and the livelihoods of its inhabitants.”

 Peace Quest Cape Breton applauds the Government of Canada, and particularly the Department of National Defence, for its fulsome and focused response to our letters, which evidently alerted them to the gravity of the situation in – and nature of the threat confronting – Sinjajevina. We urge all relevant Government departments and agencies to press ahead with the search for a ‘lasting solution’ as a matter of utmost priority. Time is short, and the stakes are…mountain-high. 

For a summary of the issue and the ‘Save Sinjajevina’ campaign, see Sean Howard’s essay, ‘For the Love of a Mountain in Montenegro,’ Cape Breton Spectator, March 1, 2023: https://capebretonspectator.com/2023/03/01/sinjajevina-nato-protests/.

For more information and interviews, please contact Sean Howard at sean@peacequestcapebreton.ca.