BELGRADE/ PODGORICA – Relations between Belgrade and Podgorica have been strained again, and the reason for the latest friction is marking of the 20th anniversary of the restoration of Montenegro’s independence. The heated public debate began with the statement of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that Montenegro was “celebrating secession from
EWB
BELGRADE/ PODGORICA – Relations between Belgrade and Podgorica have been strained again, and the reason for the latest friction is marking of the 20th anniversary of the restoration of Montenegro’s independence.
The heated public debate began with the statement of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that Montenegro was “celebrating secession from Serbia” and that he would “spit in his face” if he went to a “glamorous celebration”, and continued with the statements of the ministries of foreign affairs of the two countries presenting opposing views on who “destroys” good neighborly relations.
Montenegro is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its restoration of independence with extensive festivities in May 2026, marking two decades since the pivotal referendum held on 21 May 2006, when 55.5% of citizens voted to restore independence. The main event takes place on 21 May 2026 at Independence Square in Podgorica.
MFA of Montenegro: “Vučić’s rhetoric does not contribute to good neighbourly relations” Responding to a journalist’s question on 14 May, Vučić said that he had received an invitation for a celebration that was being prepared in Montenegro, but that he would not go, because “what is actually being celebrated, is the secession from Serbia”.
“I see that they are very happy that they have left Serbs and Serbia, I wish them all the luck”, Vučić noted, adding that it is so strange “that Europe does not insist on the right to use the Serbian language in Montenegro, and insists on everything else”.
“Let them continue their work, I wish them all the happiness of the world, and Serbia to move forward and make great feats in the economic progress of our country”, he said.
MFA of Montenegro: “Vučić’s rhetoric does not contribute to good neighborly relations”
In response to the statements of Aleksandar Vučić, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro announced last night that it “regretfully notes” that the President of Serbia “continues with rhetoric that does not contribute to good neighborly relations and mutual respect of the two internationally recognized states” on the occasion of marking the jubilee of the restoration of Montenegrin independence.
“On 21 May, 2006, Montenegro, by the free will of its citizens, in a democratic referendum, restored its independence in full accord with the Constitutional Charter of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro, the rules of international law and the standards of the European Union. We remind that Montenegro had neither ‘seceded’ from Serbia, nor had it ever been a part of Serbia in the sense that President Vučić is trying to present”, the statement said.
According to the MFA of Montenegro, “Montenegro and Serbia were equal members of the state union formed after the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, and with the restoration of its independence, Montenegro also enabled Serbia to continue its state-legal continuity as an independent state”.
“That is why it is unacceptable and politically irresponsible to try to present the jubilee of the restoration of Montenegrin independence as an act directed against Serbia or the Serbian people. Montenegro celebrates it to honor the freely expressed will of its citizens, its historical, state and identity particularity, as well as the right of every nation to democratically decide its future”, the press release remarks.
Shortly afterwards, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro “without any real reason and need constructs a pretext for a public attack on the President of Serbia, inflicting an unnecessary blow on interstate relations”.
“President Vučić, using his inalienable right to express his own opinion, did not mention a single bad word regarding Montenegro. He made a perfectly legitimate statement that he did not want to celebrate the separation of two close and brotherly states. We regret to note that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro continues to resort to rhetoric that does not contribute to the development of good neighborly relations and mutual respect for two mutually recognized, sovereign states”, the Serbian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to the statement, “in 2006, the Republic of Serbia, after the referendum in Montenegro, without any delay, fully recognized the independence of Montenegro and established diplomatic relations with it”.
According to the statement, “in 2006, the Republic of Serbia, after the referendum in Montenegro, without any delay, fully recognized the independence of Montenegro and established diplomatic relations with it”.
Vučić: “I have not offended anyone, but I have been crucified”
The public dispute between Belgrade and Podgorica continued today, after the Montenegrin portal Borba.me published Vučić’s op-ed, in which he said that “although I did not offend anyone, I did not say a single bad word, I did not threaten anything, as usual, almost in all Montenegrin media, only a few hours later, I was crucified, because as the President of Serbia I am not entitled to my free attitude, to my opinion and to act differently than expected”.
“We have accepted every decision of the citizens of Montenegro in a democratic and civilized way. From the dissolution of the common state into a state union, to the results of the referendum on secession from the state union, to the accession to NATO. Your right, your decisions. We are different, it is true. You did not bother us, we perceived you as sisters and brothers and wanted to live in the same state with you”, Vučić wrote.
He also wished “all the luck” to Montenegro, in “Europe, in NATO, wherever you want”.
“Just don’t make us look forward to the policy and the results of the policy directed against Serbia and the Serbian people. We are not masochists…The only thing we ask you to do is show respect for 30 percent of your population, at least as much as you show to members and political representatives of those peoples who have become your helpers on the European path. Just that, nothing more”, Vučić notes.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro reacted to Vučić’s op-ed with the message that “Montenegro does not celebrate anyone’s defeat, nor any ‘separation from Serbia’”.
“That is why we equally respect modern, independent Serbia and the right of its citizens to develop their state in accordance with their own democratic choice. That is why we believe that it is high time for the political discourse in the region to be free from the narrative about the alleged endangerment of anyone in Montenegro. Montenegro is a civil, multiethnic state in which the rights of all citizens are protected by the Constitution and laws, according to the highest European standards”, said the MFA of Montenegro.
