Vučić's statement sparks clash between Montenegro and Serbia

A war of words has erupted between Serbia and Montenegro, after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić declared that he will not participate in the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of Montenegro's independence, saying that he does not want to celebrate "separation from Serbia."

Vučić declared that participating in such an event would be "like spitting in one's own face," prompting an immediate reaction from the Montenegrin Foreign Ministry.

In its reaction, Montenegrin diplomacy said that Vučić's rhetoric does not contribute to good neighborly relations and mutual respect.

"Montenegro did not secede from Serbia, nor has it ever been part of Serbia in the way Vučić is trying to present it," the reaction states, Jutarnji reports.

Montenegrin authorities emphasized that Serbia and Montenegro were equal parts of the state union created after the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, while Montenegro's independence also enabled Serbia's legal continuity as an independent state.

"It is unacceptable and politically irresponsible for the anniversary of Montenegro's independence to be presented as an act against Serbia or the Serbian people," the Montenegrin Foreign Ministry stated.

According to official Podgorica, Montenegro does not celebrate independence against anyone, but as an expression of the free will of its citizens and the democratic right to decide on its own future.

After this, the Serbian Foreign Ministry also reacted, saying that Belgrade cannot remain silent in the face of efforts to "relativize historical truth."

Serbian diplomacy stressed that Vučić had not said "a single bad word" about Montenegro and that he had only expressed his personal opinion that he did not want to celebrate the separation of "two brotherly states."

In another response, Montenegro stated that it does not celebrate "the loss of anyone" nor "the separation from Serbia", but the freedom and right for both states to independently decide on their future.

On May 21, Montenegro will mark the 20th anniversary of its restoration of independence. The Montenegrin government has organized a series of festive activities, which will culminate with an official reception for Prime Minister Milojko Spajic in Podgorica and a concert by world star Ricky Martin.

Montenegro regained its independence on May 21, 2006, after a referendum in which 55.5 percent of citizens voted in favor of secession from the state union with Serbia, while 44.5 percent were against.