Montenegro marks its Statehood Day today in memory of July 13, 1878, when it received international recognition as an independent state at the Berlin Congress, and the same date in 1941 when the people of Montenegro began their uprising against fascism.
The Berlin Congress, held from June 13 to July 13, 1878 in Berlin under the presidency of Otto von Bismarck, was a meeting of representatives of six major powers in Europe (Great Britain, Russia, France, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Germany), the Ottoman Empire and four Balkan states (Montenegro, Serbia, Romania and Greece). The outcome was the recognition of Montenegro as an independent state.
The uprising of the people of Montenegro on July 13, 1941 was the largest uprising in enslaved Europe up to that time.
Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović said that July 13 is a symbol of statehood and a message that one should never bow down before the force of injustice and dark ideologies.
At a reception on the occasion of the Statehood Day of Montenegro, which he hosted at the residence in Cetinje, he said that the day is being marked when, in two different eras, the brightest pages of Montenegrin history were written.
“For Montenegro, this date is not a holiday, but the day when we built the highest values of freedom, honor and dignity into the foundations of our society. July 13th is a symbol of statehood and a message that we never bow down before the force of injustice and dark ideologies,” Milatović emphasized.
He recalled that on July 13, 1978, at the Berlin Congress, Montenegro won international recognition.
“It was the moment when the world recognized what the hard-working people of the harsh Montenegrin karst had fought for for centuries – the right to decide their own destiny and to live freely on the land of their ancestors,” Milatović emphasized.
As he added, on the same day in 1941, Montenegro wrote a new chapter in history, knowing that there is no price for which freedom is sold.
“The July 13th Uprising was an echo of conscience, deeply embedded in the soul of our people. That historic act of resistance inspired thousands of heroes not to retreat in the years of war before the power of a much more powerful enemy,” said Milatović, adding that their sacrifice was not in vain.
The Montenegrin president said that from the flames of July 13, a ray of freedom was born, which still illuminates the path of Montenegro today.
“Today we are fighting to live in a well-ordered state with strong institutions and clear rules that apply equally to everyone. We are fighting for work to have value, for knowledge and effort to be appreciated, for no one to be above the law,” said Milatović.
