[ad_1]
© Associated Press
The diplomatic crisis erupted shortly before the approval of the Zdravko Krivokapic government, the first since 1990 that was formed without the influence of Milo Djukanovic.
Montenegro declared the Serbian ambassador persona non grata, and soon after, Serbia expelled the Montenegrin ambassador over a dispute over a historical event 100 years ago that played an important role in Montenegrin identity.
According to the Podgorica authorities, Ambassador Vladimir Bozovic has rudely interfered in the country’s internal affairs, although he has been warned several times orally and in writing. Belgrade responded that under the reciprocity rules of the Vienna Convention, Ambassador Tarzan Milosevic has 72 hours to leave the country.
The diplomatic crisis erupted just days before the planned approval next week of a new Montenegrin government led by a pro-Serbian party after the August elections.
At a meeting of a Serbian association in Montenegro, Ambassador Bozovic described as “liberation” the way in which the sovereignty of the small country was abolished in 1918 and became part of Yugoslavia. According to the Podgorica authorities, this was done illegally and illegitimately a century ago.
This is the decision of the so-called The Grand National Assembly of Podgorica (or Assembly of Podgorica) put an end to sovereignty, overthrew the local Petrovic-Niegos dynasty, accepted the rule of the Serbian dynasty Karadjordjevic and announced the merger of Montenegro with Serbia The country regained its independence only in 2006.
The event is considered the annexation of Serbia to Montenegro, even because it was organized by Belgrade and the whole procedure was carried out during the occupation by the Serbian army, which took over the administration of the French body that rejected the Austro-Hungarian army after the defeat of the Kingdom. of Montenegro. war.
In Montenegro at that time, for at least half a century, some kind of alliance of the South Slavs (hence the later name Yugoslavia) was acceptable, but in the form of a confederation. The end result was that Serbia imposed the unconditional entry of Montenegro into Serbia as an integral part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which in 1929 became known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
Dissatisfaction with the way Montenegro’s sovereignty was abolished even led to an armed uprising in December 1919. The status quo was officially established in 1920 with the Paris Peace Treaty. Also in 1920, by decree of the Regent Alexander, the Montenegrin Autocephalous Orthodox Church was dissolved and its ownership was transferred to the Serbian Orthodox Church (this is the situation to this day).
Ironically, Montenegro was the only country that fought on the side of the victors of the Entente, annexed by another country from the same military alliance (previously on January 6, 1916 the small state lost the war against Austria-Hungary and capitulated, the king Nicolás I never signed the surrender). The country also temporarily lost its name because from 1929 to 1941 it was called Zetska Banovina, a Serbian territorial unit, which includes part of eastern Herzegovina.
The validity of the decisions of the Podgorica Assembly was discussed during the debates on the new constitution of Montenegro in 2006-2007. Then there were proposals to declare them illegal, but there were also arguments that the adoption of such a decision probably automatically recognized the validity of this 1918 assembly as soon as the Podgorica parliament has to specifically denounce it.
