Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic has said that the Kremlin has a secret list of Montenegrin officials who are banned from entering Russia due to the small Balkan nation's participation in Western sanctions over Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Montenegro's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in Podgorica to protest over the brief detention of a deputy from the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists at a Moscow airport.
Montenegrin media have recently reported that Markovic is on the Kremlin's secret list of officials who are not allowed to enter Russia. Markovic told parliament on May 31 that he knew about the list, but didn't know who is on it.
"Such attitude against a country which wants to self-determine its future is disappointing," Markovic said. "I have never registered such a level of destruction, primitivism. It reflects the character of [the Russian] regime."
"We will certainly not falter on our [pro-Western] commitment," he added.
The Kremlin declined to comment on Markovic's remarks.
In 2014, Montenegro imposed sanctions against Russia, embracing European Union penalties over Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea that include an entry ban for some officials.
Moscow initially retaliated by banning food imports from Montenegro but has said it reserves the right to impose further sanctions.