The Serbian government said on Thursday it recognised the independence of Montenegro, after the tiny Balkan state voted last month in an historic referendum to break away from Belgrade.
“After the decision of the Serbian Parliament on June 5, which acknowledges the independence of Montenegro, we have the conditions for the government to recognise [its independence],” the government said in a statement.
The Serbian Parliament decided 10 days ago to proclaim independence after the referendum in Montenegro, its last remaining ally from the former Yugoslavia.
All 126 deputies present in the 250-seat assembly in Belgrade approved an order to the government and state bodies to complete all formalities for secession and resolve all disputed issues with Montenegro.
Montenegro’s Parliament proclaimed independence on June 3, nearly two weeks after an historic referendum in which 55,5% of voters opted to break away from Serbia.
The world’s newest country has been recognised in recent days by China, the European Union, Russia, the United States and the fellow former Yugoslav republics of Bosnia, Croatia and Macedonia. — AFP