Timeline Montenegro
Return to home
MonteNet: http://www.montenet.org/history/intro.htm
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tibettenzin/montenegro/
TravelDocs: https://www.traveldocs.com/world-atlas/Montenegro-atlas148
Montenegro's population is 660,000, predominantly Christian Slavic Montenegrins. Up to 15 percent are Slavic Muslims, and ethnic Albanians account for 7 percent. The capital is Podgorica, population about 170,000. Serbian, formerly known as Serbo-Croat, is the majority language.
(AP, 10/20/02)
Economy: With industrial output stagnating in 2002, Montenegro has relied on seasonal income from tourism on its stretch of the Adriatic coast. Privatization has been slow but steady, despite occasional allegations of irregularities and workers' protests. Per capita income is the equivalent of around $1,000, the average monthly salary US$120 and unemployment about 20 percent.
(AP, 10/20/02)
500-600 The Slavic colonization of the Balkan peninsula occurred in two waves. The Montenegrins came in the first wave, in the 6th century, from the region between the Baltic Sea and the present-day city of Hanover, Germany. In the Baltic, the Montenegrins' ancestors lived in an area called Slavia and were known as the Velet and Odobriti tribes. Those tribes settled in the Roman province of Prevalis, where they found the urban Roman settlements of Kotor, Risan, Budva, Bar, Ulcinj and Duklja (which lie within the borders of present-day Montenegro) and also the native Illyrian tribes, the predecessors of today's Albanians. The Montenegrins were pagans, but through coexistence and assimilation they accepted Christianity from the Romans. They brought with them the name of the old native country Slavia and more than 860 toponyms. Even today there are in the Baltic around 800 settlements, rivers, lakes and mountains with names similar to corresponding places in Montenegro.
(www, 6/3/98)
600-700 Serbs and Croats came into Montenegro in a second wave in the 7th century.
(www, 6/3/98)
1809 Jul 5-1809 Jul 6, Napoleon beat Austria’s archduke Charles at the Battle of Wagram. He annexed the Illyrian Provinces (now part of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro), and abolished the Papal States.
(http://tinyurl.com/vx8dk)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wagram)
1860 Aug 13, Montenegro’s Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš (1841-1921) was still in Paris when, in consequence of the assassination of his uncle Danilo I, he succeeded as prince.
(http://tinyurl.com/y9vj8zsm)
1876 Jul 2, Montenegro declared war on Turkey.
(PC, 1992, p.537)
1878 Mar 3, Russia and the Ottomans signed the Treaty of San Stefano, granting independence to Serbia. With the Treaty of San Stefano (and subsequent negotiations in Berlin) in the wake of the last Russo-Turkish War, the Ottoman Empire lost its possession of numerous territories including Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia. The Russo-Turkish wars dated to the 17th century, the Russians generally gaining territory and influence over the declining Ottoman Empire. In the last war, Russia and Serbia supported rebellions in the Balkans. In concluding the Treaty of San Stefano, the Ottomans released control of Montenegro, Romania and Serbia, granted autonomy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and allowed an autonomous state of Bulgaria to be placed under Russian control.
(HN, 3/3/99)(HNQ, 2/23/01)
1878 Mar 3, The Treaty of San Stefano was signed after Russo-Turkish War. It assigned Albanian-populated lands to Bulgaria, Montenegro and Serbia; but Austria-Hungary and Britain blocked the treaty's implementation. Albanian leaders meet in Prizren, Kosova, to form the League of Prizren. The League initially advocated autonomy for Albania. At the Congress of Berlin, the Great Powers overturned the Treaty of San Stefano and divided Albanian lands among several states. The League of Prizren began to organize resistance to the Treaty of Berlin's provisions that affected Albanians.
(www, Albania, 1998)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_San_Stefano)
1878 Jul 13, The Treaty of Berlin was the final act of the Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878), by which the United Kingdom, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Abdul Hamid II revised the Treaty of San Stefano signed on 3 March the same year. The Treaty of San Stefano had ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. The Congress of Berlin divided the Balkans among European powers. The Slavic converts to Islam in the Sandzak region of southwestern Serbia were separated from their ethnic cousins in Bosnia.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Berlin_(1878)) (AP, 7/13/97)(HN, 7/13/98)(WSJ, 6/16/99, p.A20)
1878 Montenegro was recognized as an independent state when it became a monarchy.
(AP, 5/22/06)
1910 Montenegro, a principality in the 19th century, was recognized as a kingdom.
(AP, 10/20/02)
1912 Oct 8, Montenegro declared war on Turkey beginning the 1st Balkan War. Balkan League members followed Montenegro 10 days later [see Oct 18].
(http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/bravo/balkan1912.htm)
1912 Oct 18, The First Balkan War broke out between the members of the Balkan League-- Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro--and the Ottoman Empire. A small Balkan War broke out and was quelled by the major powers. Albanian nationalism spurred repeated revolts against Turkish dominion and resulted in the First Balkan War in which the Turks were driven out of much of the Balkan Peninsula. Austria-Hungary’s 1908 annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina spurred Serbian efforts to form the Balkan alliance with its neighbors. As a result of the war on Turkey, Serbia doubled its territory with the award of Northern Macedonia. Albanian leaders affirmed Albania as an independent state. [see Oct 8]
(V.D.-H.K.p.290)(CO, Grolier’s/ Albania)(HN, 10/18/98)(HNQ, 3/27/99)(www, Albania, 1998)
1912 Dec 3, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece & Bulgaria signed a weapons pact.
(MC, 12/3/01)
1912 Dec 4, An armistice was signed to end the First Balkan War. Following several victories over the Ottoman army, coalition forces occupied Macedonia and forced the Ottoman Empire to seek an armistice.
(www.maknews.com/html/articles/stefov/stefov61.html)
1913 Aug 10, The Treaty of Bucharest ended the Second Balkan War. It was concluded by the delegates of Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece. The entire "disputed zone" was taken by Serbia, Greece secured its position in Thessaloniki and southeastern Macedonia, the Ottomans regained all the territories lost in the First Balkan War to Bulgaria with the exception of eastern (Pirin) Macedonia, and the Romanians seized Southern Dobruja.
(www.maknews.com/html/articles/stefov/stefov61.html)
1913 Aug 10, The Great Powers recognized an independent Albanian state. Demographics were ignored, however, and half of the territories inhabited by Albanians (such as Kosova and Chameria) were divided among Montenegro, Serbia and Greece.
(www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos149.htm)
1913 Nov, Treaty of Bucharest ended the Second Balkan War. The Great Powers recognized an independent Albanian state. Demographics were ignored, however, and half of the territories inhabited by Albanians (such as Kosova and Chameria) were divided among Montenegro, Serbia and Greece.
(www, Albania, 1998)
1918 Nov 7, The Yugoslav National Conference at Geneva decided on the union of Croatia and Slovenia with Serbia and Montenegro. [see Dec 1]
(BWH, 1988)
1918 Nov 26, Montenegro deposed its king who opposed union and voted to join the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. [see Dec 1]
(BWH, 1988)
1918 Dec 1, The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes [later in 1929 to be called Yugoslavia] was proclaimed by Alexander Karadjordjevic, the son of King Peter of Serbia. It included the previously independent kingdoms of Serbia and Macedonia, the Hungarian-controlled regions of Croatia and Slovenia, the Austrian province of Dalmatia, Carniola and parts of Styria, Carinthia and Istria. King Alexander I renamed the Balkan state called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes to Yugoslavia in 1929.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/map/yugoslavia/1900/)(AP, 10/3/97)(HNQ, 3/26/99)
1921 Mar 1, Montenegro’s Prince Nikola (b.1841) died. He was the ruler of Montenegro from 1860 to 1918, reigning as sovereign prince from 1860 to 1910 and as king from 1910 to 1918.
(http://tinyurl.com/y9vj8zsm)
1929 Oct 3, The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes formally changed its name to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It included the regions of Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Macedonia. King Alexander I renamed the Balkan state called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, Yugoslavia. The Kingdom had been formed on December 1, 1918 and was ruled by the Serbian Karageorgevic dynasty. It included the previously independent kingdoms of Serbia and Macedonia, the Hungarian-controlled regions of Croatia and Slovenia, the Austrian province of Dalmatia, Carniola and parts of Styria, Carinthia and Istria.
(AP, 10/3/97)(HN, 10/3/98)(HNQ, 3/26/99)(LCTH, 10/3/99)
1941-1945 Some 1600-2000 German soldiers were killed in Montenegro in clashes with Yugoslav communist partisans during WWII.
(AP, 8/10/11)
1945 Mar 7, In Yugoslavia the Communist government of Tito formed.
(MC, 3/7/02)(AP, 10/20/02)
1979 In Montenegro an earthquake destroyed much of the Old Town beach resort of Budva.
(SSFC, 10/20/02, p.C6)
1989 Jan 10, In Montenegro Communist League members like Momir Bulatovic and Svetozar Marovic, Dukanovic and Milo Dukanovic (26) effectively gained power through full institutional control.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_%C4%90ukanovi%C4%87)
1990 A multiparty system was introduced in 1990.
(AP, 10/20/02)
1991 Feb 15, Milo Djukanovic began serving as prime minister of Montenegro. He served until 1998 and held a 2nd term from 2003-2006.
(Econ, 2/9/08, p.56)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_%C4%90ukanovi%C4%87)
1991 The Montenegrin Communist League finished its transformation into the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS).
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_%C4%90ukanovi%C4%87)
1991 Entities of Yugoslavia began to split off leaving Serbia and Montenegro. [see Serbia]
(SFC, 10/18/96, A16)
1992 Apr 27, The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed in Belgrade by the Republic of Serbia and its lone ally, Montenegro.
(AP internet, 4/27/97)
1992 The country was placed under embargo for supporting the Bosnian Serb war effort.
(WSJ,11/24/95, p.A-3)
1996 Dec 26, Montenegro threatened to print its own money to counter the inflated dinars of the Milosevic regime.
(SFC, 12/27/96, p.A15)
1997 Jan 17, Janko Jeknic, foreign minister, was killed in a car crash at Novo Selo.
(SFC, 1/18/96, p.C1)
1997 Mar 25, Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic was given a vote of no confidence by hardline supporters of Serbian Pres. Milosevic.
(SFC, 3/26/97, p.C2)
1997 Oct 5, Momir Bulatovic, a Milosevic ally, led pro-Westerner challenger Milo Djukanovic but did not receive a 50% majority due to other candidates. A runoff was scheduled for Oct 19.
(SFC, 10/7/97, p.A15)
1997 Oct 19, In Montenegro Milo Djukanovic beat pro-Milosevic incumbent Momir Bulatovic for the presidency.
(SFC,10/21/97, p.A12)
1997 Oct, The Belgian company Interbrew acquired a 60% stake in the Trebjesa Brewery for $14 million and a 2 year commitment to invest $8.3 million.
(SFC, 7/2/98, p.A16)
1998 Jan 14, Riot police clashed with some 10,000 protestors who attacked government buildings the day before the inauguration of Milan Djukanovic, who favors autonomy from Serbia.
(WSJ, 1/15/98, p.A1)
1998 Feb 11, Former Pres. Momir Bulatovic was indicted with 3 senior aides for activity against the state during the January riots.
(SFC, 2/13/98, p.D5)
1998 Apr 23, The president of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, called for full autonomy for the Kosovo region.
(SFC, 4/24/98, p.A16)
1998 May 9, The leading Group of Eight industrialized countries imposed an investment ban on Serbia and froze and froze the assets abroad of Serbia and Montenegro due to conditions in Kosovo.
(SFEC, 5/10/98, p.A13)
1998 May 18, In Yugoslavia lawmakers loyal to Pres. Slobodan Milosevic voted to oust Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, after he refused to clamp down on reformist leaders in Montenegro.
(SFC, 5/19/98, p.A12)
1998 May 19, In Serbia Pres. Milosevic named Momir Bulatovic as federal prime minister. Montenegro’s parliament said it did not recognize the ouster of Radoje Kontic and that it would no recognize any laws of the federal government.
(SFC, 5/20/98, p.A12)
1998 May 31, A reformist coalition led by Pres. Djukanovic led in national elections with 50.4%.
(SFC, 6/1/98, p.A8)
1999 Mar 29, In Montenegro Pres. Milo Djukanovic made a plea for an end to NATO attacks on Yugoslavia. The country reported that over 30,000 refugees had taken asylum there.
(SFC, 3/30/99, p.A10)
1999 Apr 1, Yugoslav Gen'l. Radoslav Martinovic was recalled by Pres. Milosevic and replaced by nationalist Gen'l. Milorad Obradovic. A coup was feared to be imminent. The Yugoslav military demanded control of Montenegro's state-run TV, but the demand was rejected.
(SFC, 4/2/99, p.A13)(WSJ, 4/5/99, p.A17)
1999 Apr 3, Montenegro announced that over 31,000 Kosovar Albanians had entered the country since NATO assaults began and that it was facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
(SFEC, 4/4/99, p.A10)
1999 Apr 6, NATO bombed Yugoslav forces in Montenegro.
(WSJ, 4/7/99, p.A16)
1999 Apr 8, Pres. Milo Djukanovic warned Gen'l. Milorad Obradovic to stop breaking into homes and forcibly taking citizens into military service.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, p.A28)
1999 Apr 9, It was reported that the US planned to give $10 million in emergency aid to Montenegro.
(WSJ, 4/9/99, p.A10)
1999 Apr 14, Some 3,000 refugees reached the border of Macedonia and another 7,000 were expected. Another 3,000 arrived in Albania. An estimated 18,000 were making their way to Montenegro. Over the last 3 weeks 305,000 arrived in Albania, 121,000 in Macedonia, and 61,000 in Montenegro.
(SFC, 4/15/99, p.A12)
1999 Apr 14, The Yugoslav navy declared all Montenegrin ports closed for 48 hours. The Yugoslav military later assumed control of the port from civilian authorities. Navy warships in the port were used to fire antiaircraft missiles against NATO aircraft.
(WSJ, 5/4/99, p.A17)
1999 Apr 15, NATO bombed TV transmitters, military installations and bridges throughout Yugoslavia. Military targets in Montenegro were struck as was the city of Subotica, near the Hungarian border.
(SFC, 4/16/99, p.A19)
1999 Apr 16, Thousands of refugees poured out of Kosovo as NATO blasted oil refineries, military barracks and airports around Yugoslavia. At least 5,000 refugees crossed into Macedonia, and 8,000 into Albania. Some 100,000 were believed to be enroute to Macedonia.
(SFC, 4/16/99, p.A1)
1999 Apr 18, Yugoslav troops crossed into Montenegro and opened fire on a column of ethnic Albanian refugees near Rozaje. At least 6 people were killed.
(SFC, 4/21/99, p.A1)
1999 Apr 23, The Yugoslav army attempted to issue summonses against the heads of the 2 main independent radio stations, Nebojsa Redzic of Radio Free Montenegro and Miodrag Perovic of Antenna M. No one accepted the summonses.
(SFC, 4/24/99, p.A13)
1999 Apr 30, NATO undertook over 600 sorties and strikes in Montenegro and Kosovo reportedly killed 13 people.
(SFC, 5/1/99, p.A1)
1999 May 20, The Yugoslav army took control of the borders to prevent men escaping into Bosnia and to halt the flow of recruits and weapons to the KLA.
(WSJ, 5/21/99, p.A9)
1999 May 24, Montenegro drafted a decree that would allow it to prosecute all Yugoslav army officers involved in such acts as the confiscation of humanitarian aid, the seizure of the borders and breaking into the houses of Montenegrins evading military service.
(WSJ, 5/25/99, p.A23)
1999 Aug 5, Montenegro proposed changes to its relationship with Serbia that would dissolve Yugoslavia and replace it with a loose association.
(SFC, 8/6/99, p.A12)
1999 Dec 8, In Montenegro Serbian troops occupied the main airport for one day. Montenegro had planned to assume control of the airport Dec 9.
(SFC, 12/9/99, p.A18)(SFC, 12/10/99, p.D8)
2000 Mar 6, Serbia sealed its border with Montenegro as relations worsened.
(WSJ, 3/7/00, p.A1)
2000 May 31, In Montenegro Goran Zugic (39), security advisor to Pres. Milo Dzukanovic, was gunned down as he arrived home.
(SFC, 6/2/00, p.A18)
2000 Jun 11, In Montenegro voters kept the pro-West government in the capital, Podgorica, but elected allies of Slobodan Milosevic in Herceg Novi.
(WSJ, 6/12/00, p.A1)(SFC, 6/13/00, p.A11)
2000 Jun 16, Serb opposition leader Vuk Draskovic was slightly wounded in an assassination attempt at his vacation home in Budva, Montenegro. Montenegro authorities reported the arrest of the attackers.
(SFC, 6/16/00, p.A19)(SFC, 6/17/00, p.A8)
2000 cJun 25, Montenegro told the UN that it no longer wants to be represented by Yugoslavia.
(WSJ, 6/26/00, p.A1)
2000 Jul 6, Pres. Milosevic changed the constitution to allow himself to run for re-election. He also reduced Montenegro’s power in the Yugoslav federation by changing how delegates are selected for the upper house.
(SFC, 7/7/00, p.A12)
2000 Aug 1, Two Britons and 2 Canadians were arrested in northern Montenegro while driving to Kosovo on suspicion of spying and terrorism.
(SFC, 8/8/00, p.A12)
2000 Sep 24, Elections in Serbia and Montenegro showed Vojislav Kostunica leading by a wide margin over Pres. Milosevic.
(SFC, 9/26/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct 17, Montenegro Pres. Milo Djukanovic refused to take part in national institutions with Serbia until the Montenegro-Serbia relationship is redefined.
(SFC, 10/18/00, p.A12)
2000 Nov 10, Pres. Djukanovic called for international recognition as an independent state from Serbia. He threatened a referendum on seceding from Yugoslavia unless their union is radically revamped.
(SFC, 11/11/00, p.A14)
2000 Dec 26, In Montenegro 3 military commanders were dismissed by the Yugoslav top defense body as a concession to Pres. Djukanovic.
(SFC, 12/27/00, p.A16)
2001 Jan 8, In Montenegro assassins killed a senior secret-service officer in Podgorica.
(WSJ, 1/09/01, p.A1)
2001 Feb 1, Pres. Milo Djukanovic visited Washington DC to explain his reasons for independence, but Sc. Of State Colin Powell refused to see him.
(SFC, 2/2/01, p.D4)
2001 Apr 22, In Montenegro parliamentary elections pro-independence advocates won 42% of the seats vs. 40.6% for the opposition.
(SFC, 4/22/01, p.D1)(SFC, 4/23/01, p.A8)(SFC, 4/24/01, p.A10)
2001 Jun 16, It was reported that the weekly Nacional had accused Pres. Djukanovic of amassing $65 million from cigarette smuggling over the last decade and had ordered contract killings of associates.
(SSFC, 6/17/01, p.A16)
2001 Jul 17, Pres. Kostunica appointed Dragisa Pesic as the new Prime Minister.
(SFC, 7/18/01, p.C4)
2002 Mar 14, Yugoslavia was declared dead as Serbia and Montenegro agreed to rename their federation: “Serbia and Montenegro."
(SFC, 3/15/02, p.A6)
2002 Mar 20, A pro-independence party quit the ruling coalition to protest the federation deal with Serbia.
(WSJ, 3/21/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 19, PM Filip Vujanovic resigned over the coalition deal with Serbia.
(SFC, 4/20/02, p.A13)
2002 Oct 20, In Montenegro the pro-independence party of Pres. Milo Djukanovic won 39 of the 75 seats.
(AP, 10/20/02)(SFC, 10/21/02, p.A5)
2002 Nov 5, Montenegro's ruling party nominated president Milo Djukanovic to serve as the new prime minister. The presidential vote is set for Dec 22.
(AP, 11/5/02)
2002 Nov, In Montenegro Svetlana C. (28) of Moldava escaped from a brothel near the capital, Podgorica, and went to the police. Local newspapers reported that politicians and other members of Montenegro's ruling elite frequented the brothel and took part in orgies at which women were tortured.
(AP, 7/7/03)
2002 Dec 22, Montenegro held presidential elections but voters failed to turn out in sufficient numbers.
(AP, 12/22/02)(WSJ, 12/24/02, p.A1)
2003 Jan 29, Montenegro lawmakers voted to abolish Yugoslavia and replace it with a loose union of semi-independent states called Serbia and Montenegro.
(SFC, 1/30/03, p.A8)
2003 Feb 4, Yugoslavia’s parliament transformed the federation into a loose union between Montenegro and Serbia and retired the name “Yugoslavia."
(WSJ, 2/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Feb 9, Montenegro's 2nd attempt in 2 months to elect a president failed.
(AP, 2/10/03)
2003 Mar 3, Lawmakers from Serbia and Montenegro inaugurated their new parliament, formally replacing Yugoslavia with the new state.
(AP, 3/3/03)
2003 Apr 3, Serbia and Montenegro became a member of the Council of Europe.
(AP, 4/3/03)
2003 May 11, Montenegro held its 3rd presidential election in six months and former prime minister Filip Vujanovic, who favors independence from Serbia, won a landslide victory. He promised to hold a referendum in 3 years on whether to split with Serbia.
(AP, 5/11/03)(AP, 5/12/03)(WSJ, 5/13/03, p.A1)
2003 Sep 7, Goran Markovic's "The Cordon", a film from Serbia and Montenegro about the behavior of policemen during the demonstrations against president Slobodan Milosevic in 1997, won the top prize at the Montreal film festival.
(Reuters, 9/7/03)
2003 Nov 13, Svetozar Marovic, Serbia-Montenegro's president, apologized in Sarajevo for the pain his country inflicted upon Bosnia during the 1992-95 war.
(AP, 11/14/03)
2003 Nov 13, Serbia dissolved its parliament and announced early elections, signaling the collapse of the government three years after the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic. PM Zoran Zivkovic to agree, under pressure from political defectors and Milosevic supporters, to set a new parliamentary vote for Dec. 28, a year ahead of schedule.
(AP, 11/14/03)
2004 May 28, In Montenegro gunmen shot dead Dusko Jovanovic, the editor of a conservative daily. PM Djukanovic had sued Jovanovic and the Dan daily for stories linking the premier to a major human trafficking case. A court hearing was to begin next month. Damir Mandic was tried and acquitted in 2006 but that ruling was overturned after an appeal, and a retrial was held. In 2009 the Montenegro Higher Court ruled that karate expert Damir Mandic was guilty of the "well-planned and premeditated" murder of editor Dusko Jovanovic.
(AP, 5/28/04)(AP, 4/28/09)
2005 Feb 22, Montenegro's President Filip Vujanovic and PM Milo Djukanovic proposed the peaceful disintegration of Serbia-Montenegro, suggesting that the two former Yugoslav republics recognize each other as sovereign states.
(AP, 2/23/05)
2005 Feb 23, Serbia's prime minister and other top officials flatly rejected Montenegro's proposal for a final split of their joint state.
(AP, 2/23/05)
2005 Apr 12, An EU feasibility study deemed Serbia and Montenegro worthy to start accession talks.
(Econ, 4/16/05, p.43)
2005 Apr, Oleg Deripaska, Russian oligarch, planned to buy KAP, Montenegro’s aluminium plant. KAP accounted for up to 40% of Montenegro’s GDP and was seen as an environmental nightmare. The deal included $20 million for environmental clean-up.
(Econ, 4/30/05, p.47)
2005 Jun 9, The US lifted its freeze on a $10 million aid package for Serbia-Montenegro, saying the Balkan country had shown better cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal.
(AP, 6/9/05)
2005 Jul, Montenegro agreed to pay Croatia $460,000 in war compensation for cattle taken by its soldiers in June, 1991.
(Econ, 7/30/05, p.46)
2005 Oct 21, Lawmakers of Serbia and Montenegro elected Zoran Stankovic (51), a reported ally of notorious war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic, as the new defense minister.
(AP, 10/21/05)
2006 Jan 23, In Montenegro a packed passenger train derailed and plunged into a steep river canyon outside the capital of Podgorica, killing at least 44 people and injuring more than 135, more than half of them children.
(AP, 1/24/06)
2006 Feb 16, Serbia rejected European Union's guidelines for an independence vote in Montenegro, increasing tensions within the troubled Balkan state.
(AP, 2/16/06)
2006 May 21, Montenegro voted by a slim margin to secede from Serbia and form a separate nation, erasing the last vestiges of the former Yugoslavia. More than 55 percent of Montenegrins voted for independence.
(Econ, 3/4/06, p.47)(AP, 5/22/06)(AFP, 7/19/18)
2006 May 23, Serbia's president said he recognized the results of the independence vote in Montenegro that will separate the tiny Adriatic republic from its union with Serbia.
(AP, 5/23/06)
2006 Jun 3, Montenegro's parliament declared independence from Serbia, forming Europe's newest country and dissolving the last vestiges of the former Yugoslavia.
(AP, 6/3/06)
2006 Jun 15, The Serbian government recognized newly independent Montenegro, and said it would establish diplomatic ties with its former partner.
(AP, 6/15/06)
2006 Jun 22, The UN Security Council unanimously recommended that newly independent Montenegro become the 192nd member of the United Nations.
(AP, 6/23/06)
2006 Jun 28, The UN General Assembly unanimously admitted the newly independent Republic of Montenegro as the 192nd member of the world body.
(AP, 6/28/06)
2006 Sep 10, Montenegrins voted in the first parliamentary elections since the tiny state split from Serbia. Police announced a crackdown on an alleged ethnic Albanian terrorist group authorities said had threatened the ballot. The coalition of PM Milo Djukanovic headed for an absolute majority with a projected 41 seats in the 81-seat parliament.
(AP, 9/10/06)(SFC, 9/11/06, p.A3)
2006 Sep 12, Montenegro's election authorities said the governing pro-Western coalition led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic won last weekend's parliamentary elections.
(AP, 9/12/06)
2006 Nov 29, NATO leaders finished a two-day summit without agreement on some members' refusal to send troops into combat in Afghanistan's most dangerous regions. NATO vowed to give its troubled mission in Afghanistan the "forces, resources and flexibility needed" to tackle increasingly ferocious Taliban fighters. Leaders invited Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina to join a program considered a first step toward eventual membership, but urged Serbia and Bosnia to fully cooperate with the UN war crimes tribunal.
(AP, 11/29/06)(AFP, 11/29/06)
2007 Feb 21, Montenegro police arrested Smail Tulja (67) in his home in Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, on an international arrest warrant that the authorities received from FBI and Interpol agents. He was wanted for the killing and dismemberment of an elderly woman in New York City in 1990 and is also suspected in similar slayings of women throughout Europe.
(AP, 2/22/07)
2007 Mar 12, In Nigeria’s oil region hostage takers released 3 European captives. 2 Croatians and one Montenegrin seized Feb. 18 in Port Harcourt were in good health after their release to state officials.
(AP, 3/12/07)
2007 Mar 15, Montenegro signed a stabilization and association agreement (SAA), usually the first step toward EU membership.
(Econ, 3/24/07, p.60)
2007 Jun 17, Authorities in Montenegro arrested Vlastimir Djordjevic, Serbia's assistant interior minister and chief of the Public Security Department (1997-2001), wanted for murder and persecution of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
(AP, 6/17/07)
2007 Oct 15, Montenegro signed a stabilization and association agreement with the EU, normally a step towards membership.
(Econ, 10/20/07, p.72)
2007 Elizabeth Roberts authored “Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro."
(Econ, 2/3/07, p.85)
2008 Apr 6, Montenegrins voted in the tiny Balkan state's first presidential election since it split from Serbia two years ago. President Filip Vujanovic won re-election by a landslide, cementing Montenegro's westward economic and political course since breaking away from Serbia two years ago.
(AP, 4/6/08)(AP, 4/7/08)
2008 Aug 5, In Montenegro 4 Michigan residents were among 12 ethnic Albanians convicted of plotting a rebellion to carve out a homeland within the tiny Balkan republic.
(AP, 8/5/08)
2008 Aug 21, A Montenegrin court ordered three US citizens and seven other ethnic Albanians back to prison after convicting them of plotting a rebellion to establish an Albanian autonomous region within the Adriatic country.
(AP, 8/22/08)
2008 Oct 9, Montenegro and Macedonia recognized Kosovo's independence, despite opposition from Serbia, which called the moves by its Balkan neighbors a betrayal and expelled the Montenegrin ambassador from Belgrade.
(AP, 10/9/08)
2008 The population of Montenegro numbered about 650,000.
(Econ, 1/10/09, p.46)
2009 Jan, In Montenegro a huge aluminium factory on the edge of Podgornica struggled under falling metal prices. Controlled by Oleg Deripaska, a Russian tycoon, it depended on large quantities of subsidized electricity. The factory and its related industries accounted for 40% of the country’s GDP.
(Econ, 1/10/09, p.46)
2009 Nov 30, The EU Council of Ministers for Interior and Justice abolished visa requirements for citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area#Current)
2009 Dec 19, The European Union opened its borders unrestricted to more than ten million Serbs, Montenegrins and Macedonians after nearly 20 years, a major boost for the troubled region's hopes for closer ties with the 27-nation bloc.
(AP, 12/19/09)
2009 Dec, Police in Uruguay seized a large amount of cocaine from an anchored yacht as part of an operation dubbed “Balkan Warrior." 2.7 tons were seized in the operation. In 2010 Serbia indicted Darko Saric, a Serb citizen from Montenegro, and 19 associates of smuggling drugs from South America to Europe. Saric disappeared but financial documents linked him to companies registered in the Marshall Islands and Delaware via the Bank of Cyprus and an Austrian bank in Montenegro, a branch of Hypo Group Alpe-Adria.
(Econ, 5/8/10, p.56)(Econ, 9/11/10, p.63)
2010 May 30, In Montenegro Ivan Vracar allegedly pulled a pistol on him and killed Dragan Dudic, the owner of the Maximus disco and other enterprises. Dudic was being investigated in connection with money laundering and was a close associate of Darko Saric, a man on the run and who is accused of being the kingpin of a major drug smuggling gang.
(www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2010/05/montenegrin_murder)(Econ, 9/11/10, p.63)
2010 Nov, Italy and Montenegro agreed to build an undersea cable to let Montenegro export electricity.
(Econ, 12/18/10, p.100)
2010 Dec 29, Igor Luksic (b.1976) took office as prime minister of Montenegro.
(Econ, 6/16/12, p.63)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Luk%C5%A1i%C4%87)
2010 Dec 2, Heavy snow caused travel chaos across much of northern Europe, keeping London's Gatwick airport closed for a second day and disrupting road and rail travel in France, Germany and Switzerland. Freezing temperatures and often blinding snowfall killed 12 people, 10 in Poland and 2 in Germany. Poland had already reported 8 dead due to the cold. Some of the worst floods in a century devastated parts of the Balkans. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro.
(Reuters, 12/2/10)(AP, 12/2/10)
2010 Dec 3, Authorities in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro declared a state of emergency and evacuated hundreds of people after heavy rainfall caused severe flooding along the Drina River, the worst in 104 years.
(AP, 12/3/10)
2011 Nov 7, Officials from Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, announced plans for a donors' conference to be held next year and raise the money needed to implement a five-year plan designed to close down all migrant centers and provide housing for some 74,000 people.
(AP, 11/7/11)
2012 Feb 22, In Montenegro US Army Black Hawk helicopters began dropping food, medicine and livestock feed to people stranded in the central mountains as villagers were hit by the country’s heaviest snowfall in 60 years.
(SSFC, 2/26/12, p.A4)
2012 Jul 16, Firefighters in Montenegro struggled to contain wildfires that threatened an ancient pine forest in the northeast of the country. The blaze had reached the outer rim of the Crna Poda forest, where some of the pine trees are 400 years old.
(AP, 7/16/12)
2012 Jul 24, In Montenegro some 850 Roma people, who had fled Kosovo during the 1998-99 war, lost their belongings in the fire that swept through the refugee barracks in the suburb of Konik. No one was injured.
(AP, 7/25/12)
2012 Oct 14, Montenegro held elections. The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) led by Milo Djukanovic won.
(Econ, 10/20/12, p.50)
2013 Mar 29, A court in Bosnia convicted a Montenegrin man of multiple counts of murder, torture, rape and looting during Bosnia's 1992-95 war, and sentenced him to 45 years in prison. A judge said Veselin Vlahovic (43) killed 31 people, raped a number of Bosniak and Croat women and tortured and robbed non-Serb residents of a Sarajevo suburb while fighting for the Bosnian Serbs.
(AP, 3/29/13)
2013 Apr 7, Montenegro held elections.
(AP, 4/20/13)
2013 Apr 8, Montenegro’s election commission said incumbent Filip Vujanovic has won a 3rd term as president with 51.2% of the vote over challenger Miodrag Lekic, who received 48.8%.
(SFC, 4/9/13, p.A2)
2013 Apr 20, In Montenegro more than 5,000 opposition supporters rallied claiming their leader was cheated of victory in the April 7 presidential ballot. The opposition claimed their candidate Miodrag Lekic was robbed.
(AP, 4/20/13)
2013 Jun 23, In Montenegro a bus fell from a bridge over the Moraca river during a rainstorm and crashed some 40 meters (130 feet) into a ravine. 18 Romanian tourists were killed and 28 hospitalized.
(AP, 6/24/13)
2013 Jul 24, In Montenegro several hundred extremists shouting "Kill the gays" attacked gay activists and clashed with police in a bid to disrupt the first ever pride event in the staunchly conservative country.
(AP, 7/24/13)
2013 Oct 20, Montenegro police used tear gas against dozens of rock-throwing opponents of a gay pride march in Podgorica.
(AP, 10/20/13)
2013 Dec 27, In Montenegro an overnight bomb blast shook the offices of the leading daily Vijesti in the latest attack on a newspaper known for its criticism of the authorities under long-term leader Milo Djukanovic.
(Reuters, 12/27/13)
2014 Feb 15, Montenegro police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing protesters who were blaming the government for high unemployment, economic mismanagement and alleged corruption, and demanding its resignation.
(AP, 2/15/14)
2014 Jun 4, Montenegro authorities seized 250 kilograms of cocaine from South America in one of the biggest-ever drug busts in nation.
(AP, 6/5/14)
2014 Nov 2, In Montenegro, a staunchly conservative Balkan country seeking EU membership, about 200 gay activists marched peacefully protected by hundreds of riot police.
(AP, 11/2/14)
2015 Jan 16, In Montenegro hundreds of Serb nationalists demonstrated against a visit by Kosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci, chanting "Kill! Kill!" as he met with his counterpart Igor Luiksic. Serb nationalists accuse Thaci, a former ethnic Albanian rebel leader, of war crimes against Kosovo Serbs during the 1998-99 war for independence.
(AP, 1/16/15)
2015 Apr 17, Montenegro police said they have arrested 16 people suspected of smuggling into Serbia 138 Syrian migrants who were trying to flee their war-ravaged country and reach Western Europe.
(AP, 4/17/15)
2015 Aug 4, Russia's PM Dmitry Medvedev ordered preparation of retaliatory measures against several non-EU European nations that have joined the European Union's sanctions against Russia. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine joined the EU sanctions last week.
(AP, 8/4/15)
2015 Aug 13, Russia broadened a food embargo imposed in retaliation for Western sanctions over Ukraine to include Iceland, a significant fish importer, as well as Montenegro, Albania and Liechtenstein.
(AFP, 8/13/15)
2015 Dec 2, NATO invited Montenegro to become the 29th member of the US-led military alliance, defying Russia's warnings it would have to respond to what it branded a threat to its security. Russia said it will end joint projects with Montenegro if the ex-Communist country joins NATO.
(AFP, 12/2/15)(Reuters, 12/2/15)
2015 Dec 17, Montenegro police detained Svetozar Marovic (60), who served as president of Serbia-Montenegro before Montenegro split from the union in 2006, on suspicion of abuse of power and embezzlement of millions of euros.
(AP, 12/17/15)
2016 Mar 28, Montenegro authorities deported 58 foreigners, including 43 Russians, associated with a religious cult. Local media reported that they are members of Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese doomsday cult that carried out a deadly nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subway in 1995.
(AP, 3/29/16)
2016 May 19, NATO invited the Balkan nation of Montenegro to become its 29th member, agreeing to expand for only the seventh time in its history despite Russia's angry objections.
(AP, 5/19/16)
2016 Jun 22, The Pentagon said a Yemeni man who had been held at the US military prison at Guantanamo for 14 years has been transferred to Montenegro. The transfer of Abdel Malik Ahmed Abdel Wahab al-Rahabi (36) left 79 detainees remaining at the base. He was brought to Guantanamo in January 2002, accused of being a bodyguard for the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
(AP, 6/23/16)
2016 Aug 4, Montenegro's police arrested Vlado Zmajevic (47) suspected of killing at least six ethnic Albanians, including two women, in a Kosovo village in 1999.
(AP, 8/4/16)
2016 Aug 4, Kosovo's government ratified a border demarcation agreement with neighboring Montenegro, despite disapproval from the opposition. The government sent the deal to the Parliament, which was expected to concur.
(AP, 8/4/16)
2016 Aug 30, Montenegrin police used pepper spray to stop laid-off employees of an aluminum smelter from storming the parliament building.
(AP, 8/30/16)
2016 Oct 16, In Montenegro a coup attempt included plans to assassinate the pro-Western PM Milo Djukanovic because of his government's bid to join NATO.
(AP, 4/13/17)
2016 Nov 6, Montenegro’s chief special prosecutor said Russian nationalists were behind the alleged Oct 16 coup attempt that included plans to assassinate the pro-Western prime minister because of his government's bid to join NATO.
(AP, 11/6/16)
2016 Nov 7, Montenegrin lawmakers convened for the first time since last month's election, with opposition parties boycotting the inaugural session. The session in Cetinje was attended by 42 lawmakers of the 81-seat parliament.
(AP, 11/7/16)
2016 Nov 19, Montenegro officials inaugurated a cemetery for German soldiers killed in the country during WW II, hailing it as an act of reconciliation important for the future. About 2,000 German soldiers are believed to have been killed in Montenegro. About 500 have been unearthed so far and the rest are considered missing.
(AP, 11/19/16)
2016 Nov 28, Montenegro's parliament endorsed a new cabinet led by Dusko Markovic (58), a former head of the secret police who pledged to lead the country's accession to NATO and the European Union.
(Reuters, 11/28/16)
2016 Dec 14, Montenegro's defense minister said the small Balkan country will decide whether to join NATO in a parliamentary vote and not a popular referendum as sought by the opposition and Russia.
(AP, 12/14/16)
2016 Dec 17, In Montenegro dozens of people in Podgorica participated in a gay pride event in the highly conservative state where authorities have promised to boost gay rights as part of efforts to join the European Union.
(AP, 12/17/16)
2017 Jan 28, It was reported that heavily-armed police are guarding the streets of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, after a spike in gangland violence rattled the Balkan country, which is on the brink of joining NATO.
(AFP, 1/28/17)
2017 Feb 9, A Serbian court rejected an extradition request by Montenegro for Nemanja Ristic, a suspect in an alleged pro-Russia plot to overthrow the small Balkan country's government.
(AP, 2/10/17)
2017 Feb 15, Montenegro's parliament voted to strip two pro-Russian opposition MPs of their immunity over alleged involvement in a foiled coup last October, but a prosecutor ruled the pair would not be arrested.
(AFP, 2/15/17)
2017 Feb 17, In Montenegro dozens of women who braved cold weather to spend a night outside government headquarters to protest cuts in state aid for mothers of three or more children dispersed and agreed to meet a government delegation next week.
(AP, 2/17/17)
2017 Mar 14, Montenegro's former PM Milo Djukanovic called on the European Union to stop Russia's "destructive" influence in the Balkans.
(AP, 3/14/17)
2017 Mar 28, Montenegro became set to become NATO's 29th member following the US Senate's overwhelming ratification.
(AP, 3/29/17)
2017 Apr 13, Montenegro's special prosecutor indicted two Russians and 12 other people for allegedly plotting a coup last October that included plans to kill the country's former prime minister. The Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, allegedly coordinated the operation from neighboring Serbia.
(AP, 4/13/17)
2017 Apr 27, Montenegro's PM Dusko Markovic said Russia has banned the import of its best-known wine because of the Balkan country's decision to become a member of NATO. Markovic said Russian authorities reported finding pesticides and plastic in wine and other products made by the Plantaze company.
(AP, 4/27/17)
2017 Apr 28, Montenegro’s parliament ratified the country's membership agreement with NATO, taking the tiny former Yugoslav republic one step closer to becoming the 29th member of the Atlantic alliance.
(Reuters, 4/28/17)
2017 Jun 5, Montenegro silently celebrated its entry into NATO in a historic turn that has made the Kremlin furious. Montenegro, with an army numbering under 2,000 personnel, became the 29th member of the world's biggest military alliance, and one of its smallest contributors..
(AP, 6/5/17)(AP, 6/7/17)(AFP, 7/19/18)
2017 Jun 8, Montenegro's higher court confirmed prosecution indictments against 14 people, including two Russians charged with masterminding a coup attempt last Oct 16 aimed at preventing Montenegro from joining NATO.
(AP, 6/8/17)
2017 Jun, US agents extracted a high-level mole in the Russian government who had confirmed Vladimir Putin's direct role in interfering in the 2016 presidential election. This was only made public in 2019. On Sept. 10, 2019, Russian daily newspaper Kommersant said the official may have been a man called Oleg Smolenkov, who was reported to have disappeared with his wife, Antonina, and three children while on holiday in Montenegro in June 2017.
(AFP, 9/10/19)(Reuters, 9/10/19)
2017 Jul 17, Croatian firefighters battled for a second day to try and control a raging forest fire along the Adriatic coast that has destroyed or damaged several buildings in villages located around the city of Split. At least 100 tourists have been forced to evacuate from a coastal area in Montenegro due to the fires.
(Reuters, 7/17/17)(AP, 7/17/17)
2017 Aug 2, US VP Mike Pence spoke in Montenegro at the opening of a US-backed summit of top Balkan officials. He pledged Washington's commitment to the area that Russia also considers a zone of interest. Kosovo's president said Pence pledged to help eliminate the obstacles to Kosovo becoming a full NATO member.
(AP, 8/2/17)
2017 Aug 26, In Albania prime ministers from Western Balkans countries agreed on a road map to deepen their regional economic cooperation as part of the process for joining the European Union. Albanian PM Edi Rama hosted his counterparts from Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro.
(AP, 8/26/17)
2017 Sep 13, Police in Bosnia and Montenegro arrested 21 men suspected of smuggling close to 200 Turks to the European Union. They had transferred migrants by plane from Istanbul to Sarajevo and Podgorica.
(Reuters, 9/14/17)
2017 Sep 23, In Montenegro about 200 people have gathered at an LGBT pride event urging more rights and zero tolerance for violence against gay people in the conservative Balkan country.
(AP, 9/23/17)
2017 Oct 26, In Montenegro a key witness in the trial of 14 suspected plotters to topple the government directly implicated an alleged Russian secret service operative in organizing a coup attempt by supplying money and defining goals in order to prevent the small Balkan nation from joining NATO. Aleksandar Sindjelic testified in court that Eduard Shishmakov gave him money to organize about 500 people to trigger disturbances in the capital, Podgorica, on the day of last year's parliamentary election.
(AP, 10/26/17)
2017 Oct 30, Montenegro’s defense minister said the Greek and Italian air forces will protect the airspace over the newest NATO-member state. Montenegro joined NATO in June as the military alliance's 29th member.
(AP, 10/30/17)
2018 Jan 30, Montenegro signed a 30 million euro ($37 million) deal to buy three helicopters made by Bell Helicopter, part of Textron Inc, in a drive by NATO's newest member to bolster its defenses.
(Reuters, 1/30/18)
2018 Feb 6, The EU warned Balkan countries hoping to join the bloc that none will be invited until they have resolved all disputes with their neighbors. This applied to Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and its former territory of Kosovo.
(AP, 2/6/18)
2018 Feb 16, Kosovo and Montenegro announced they had reached a deal on a 2015 border agreement between the two countries, a step toward Kosovo gaining visa-free travel to the European Union.
(Reuters, 2/16/18)
2018 Feb 22, Montenegro police said a Yugoslav army veteran who manned anti-aircraft defenses during the NATO bombing in 1999 tossed a hand grenade into the US embassy compound in Podgorica, around midnight and then blew himself up. Media named him as Dalibor Jaukovic (43), a decorated Yugoslav army veteran.
(Reuters, 2/22/18)(SFC, 2/23/18, p.A2)
2018 Mar 28, Montenegro decided to expel a Russian diplomat over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent that the British government has blamed on Moscow.
(Reuters, 3/28/18)
2018 Apr 2, Russia's foreign ministry said a diplomat from Montenegro will be expelled, after Montenegro expelled a Russian diplomat over a nerve agent attack in England that the British government has blamed on Russia.
(Reuters, 4/2/18)
2018 Apr 15, The people of Montenegro began voting in polls expected to see pro-Western six-time former prime minister Milo Djukanovic elected as president of the tiny Balkan nation that is aspiring to join the EU. Djukanovic won the presidential election to extend his dominance over the country's politics.
(AFP, 4/15/18)(Reuters, 4/16/18)
2018 May 4, Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci agreed the country's border with Montenegro, a development that takes Kosovo one step nearer to joining Europe's free travel Schengen zone. Montenegro has already approved the deal.
(AP, 5/4/18)
2018 May 8, In Montenegro assailants opened fire and wounded crime and corruption journalist Olivera Lakic, who works for the independent Vijesti daily. She has written about alleged murky businesses involving top state officials and their families.
(AP, 5/9/18)
2018 May 9, In Montenegro hundreds protested in Podgorica after unknown assailants shot and wounded Olivera Lakic, a prominent crime and corruption reporter a day earlier.
(AP, 5/9/18)
2018 May 9, An international report was released into the situation of the Roma people in the Western Balkans. It showed that up to 93 percent of Roma women are unemployed, with one-third of all Roma families there going to bed hungry. The study covered Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.
(AP, 5/9/18)
2018 Jun 5, NATO aircraft started policing Montenegro's airspace, a year after the small Adriatic state became a member of the Western military alliance despite strong opposition from Russia.
(AP, 6/5/18)
2018 Jun 7, Montenegrin state TV's managing board removed director general Andrijana Kadija, citing an allegedly damaging agreement with a rights group.
(AP, 6/8/18)
2018 Jul 24, Hungary's PM Viktor Orban offered to help small Montenegro guard its borders against migrants, insisting that the Balkans should remain closed for people trying to reach Western Europe.
(AP, 7/24/18)
2018 Oct 31, Albanian police said they have arrested five people suspected of trafficking migrants from Greece to Montenegro following a months-long investigation.
(AP, 10/31/18)
2018 Nov 6, Representatives from Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia signed an agreement to identify victims of the 1990s wars. Around 12,000 people were still not accounted for out of the 40,000 missing from the wars that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.
(AFP, 11/7/18)
2018 Nov 30, Montenegrin police arrested Nebojsa Medojevic, a lawmaker and a prominent opposition leader, after a high court ordered he serve a two-month jail sentence passed in March for refusing to testify about high-level corruption.
(Reuters, 11/30/18)
2019 Apr 4, Six Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo) signed an EU-backed agreement in Belgrade to abolish roaming charges by 2021 as part of efforts to boost cooperation in the region.
(AP, 4/4/19)
2019 Apr 19, Montenegrin military police seized around 50 kg of drugs on board a naval training ship, hours before it was scheduled to take students on a training cruise.
(Reuters, 4/19/19)
2019 May 9, A Montenegro court sentenced 13 people, including two Russian secret service operatives, to up to 15 years in prison after they were convicted of plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government on Oct. 16, 2016, and prevent it from joining NATO. The two Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, were tried in absentia.
(AP, 5/09/19)
2019 Jun 3, A UN said people in all major cities across the western Balkans face alarming levels of air pollution that are reducing their life expectancies because the underdeveloped, politically fragile region is still heavily reliant on burning coal to generate power. The report was prepared cooperation with the WHO and air quality management institutions in Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
(AP, 6/3/19)
2019 Dec 15, In Montenegro police Officer Milutin Lekovic (41) was shot and killed while apprehending suspects. Three Albanian nationals were soon detained in connection with the slaying. Lekovic had detained three suspects he had caught without documents in the area that is close to the border with European Union member Croatia.
(AP, 12/16/19)
2019 Dec 24, In Montenegro Serbian Orthodox Church clergy protested against the planned adoption of a religious law that they say will strip the church of its property. The law envisages that religious communities in Montenegro would need to produce evidence of ownership over their property from before 1918, when Montenegro joined a Balkan kingdom.
(AP, 12/24/19)
2019 Dec 27, Montenegro’s Parliament adopted a contested law on religious rights after chaotic scenes that saw the detention of all pro-Serb opposition lawmakers. The government pushed through parliament a bill that requires religious groups to prove ownership over land and places of worship they had before 1918, or see the property become state-owned.
(AP, 12/27/19)(Bloomberg, 3/7/20)
2020 Jan 2, In Serbia a crowd targeted the Montenegro's unguarded embassy in Belgrade during a protest of a religious rights law adopted by Montenegro's parliament last month.
(SFC, 1/4/20, p.A4)
2020 Feb 29, In Montenegro thousands of people, led by Serbian Orthodox Church clerics, marched peacefully through the Podgorica in protest against a law they fear will be used to target the church's assets and status.
(Reuters, 2/29/20)
2020 Apr 21, Montenegrin health authorities said they would shorten a curfew and allow shops to work longer hours. The country has reported 313 infections among a population of 630,000. Five people have died and 90 recovered so far.
(Reuters, 4/21/20)
2020 May 12, In Montenegro hundreds of Serbian Orthodox pilgrims used hand sanitizer and wore face masks as they entered the Ostrog Monastery to mark the Day of St Vasilije Ostroski the Miracle Maker, a 17th century bishop after whom the monastery is named. Montenegro has reported 324 cases of the coronavirus and nine deaths.
(Reuters, 5/12/20)
2020 May 13, In Montenegro clashes erupted when protesters demanded the release of eight Serbian Orthodox Church priests jailed for leading a religious procession despite a ban on gatherings related to the coronavirus outbreak. At least 60 people were detained in Niksic and Pljevlja.
(SFC, 5/15/20, p.A2)
2020 Jun 15, Montenegro reported a new COVID-19 case, a person who arrived from neighboring Bosnia, three weeks after declaring it was free of the coronavirus.
(Reuters, 6/15/20)
2020 Jul 13, The Czech Republic reimposed restrictions for travel to Serbia and Montenegro after a spike of new coronavirus cases in the Balkan countries.
(AP, 7/13/20)
2020 Aug 30, Voters in Montenegro cast ballots in tense parliamentary elections that pit the long-ruling pro-Western party against the opposition seeking closer ties with Serbia and Russia. The pro-Serb and Russian opposition groups claimed victory against the ruling pro-Western party.
(AP, 8/30/20)
2020 Sep 6, In Montenegro several thousand protesters gathered in Podgorica in a show of support for the ruling pro-Western party, which could lose power if the pro-Serb and pro-Russian groups manage to form a ruling coalition.
(AP, 9/6/20)
2020 Sep 9, The leaders of the three main opposition groups in Montenegro signed a coalition agreement to form the next government and sought to alleviate fears that they would steer the small Balkan state off its pro-Western course and back toward traditional allies Serbia and Russia.
(AP, 9/9/20)
2020 Sep 10, Montenegro reported 128 new coronavirus cases, with nearly every fifth person tested found to be positive.
(AP, 9/11/20)
2020 Oct 20, Montenegro has become the country recording one of the highest numbers of cases relative to its population, with over 4,232 active cases among its 620,000 people. 240 people in Montenegro have died from the disease, while 15,760 have fallen ill.
(Reuters, 10/20/20)
2020 Nov 13, Montenegro introduced a two-week overnight lockdown to rein in a major spike in coronavirus infections.
(Reuters, 11/13/20)
2020 Nov 28, Montenegro’s outgoing cabinet proclaimed the Serbian diplomat persona non grata, citing his “long and continuous meddling in the internal affairs of Montenegro."
(AP, 11/30/20)
Go to http://www.timelinesdb.com
Subject = Montenegro
End of file.
Return to home
MonteNet: http://www.montenet.org/history/intro.htm
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tibettenzin/montenegro/
TravelDocs: https://www.traveldocs.com/world-atlas/Montenegro-atlas148
Montenegro's population is 660,000, predominantly Christian Slavic Montenegrins. Up to 15 percent are Slavic Muslims, and ethnic Albanians account for 7 percent. The capital is Podgorica, population about 170,000. Serbian, formerly known as Serbo-Croat, is the majority language.
(AP, 10/20/02)
Economy: With industrial output stagnating in 2002, Montenegro has relied on seasonal income from tourism on its stretch of the Adriatic coast. Privatization has been slow but steady, despite occasional allegations of irregularities and workers' protests. Per capita income is the equivalent of around $1,000, the average monthly salary US$120 and unemployment about 20 percent.
(AP, 10/20/02)
500-600 The Slavic colonization of the Balkan peninsula occurred in two waves. The Montenegrins came in the first wave, in the 6th century, from the region between the Baltic Sea and the present-day city of Hanover, Germany. In the Baltic, the Montenegrins' ancestors lived in an area called Slavia and were known as the Velet and Odobriti tribes. Those tribes settled in the Roman province of Prevalis, where they found the urban Roman settlements of Kotor, Risan, Budva, Bar, Ulcinj and Duklja (which lie within the borders of present-day Montenegro) and also the native Illyrian tribes, the predecessors of today's Albanians. The Montenegrins were pagans, but through coexistence and assimilation they accepted Christianity from the Romans. They brought with them the name of the old native country Slavia and more than 860 toponyms. Even today there are in the Baltic around 800 settlements, rivers, lakes and mountains with names similar to corresponding places in Montenegro.
(www, 6/3/98)
600-700 Serbs and Croats came into Montenegro in a second wave in the 7th century.
(www, 6/3/98)
1809 Jul 5-1809 Jul 6, Napoleon beat Austria’s archduke Charles at the Battle of Wagram. He annexed the Illyrian Provinces (now part of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro), and abolished the Papal States.
(http://tinyurl.com/vx8dk)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wagram)
1860 Aug 13, Montenegro’s Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš (1841-1921) was still in Paris when, in consequence of the assassination of his uncle Danilo I, he succeeded as prince.
(http://tinyurl.com/y9vj8zsm)
1876 Jul 2, Montenegro declared war on Turkey.
(PC, 1992, p.537)
1878 Mar 3, Russia and the Ottomans signed the Treaty of San Stefano, granting independence to Serbia. With the Treaty of San Stefano (and subsequent negotiations in Berlin) in the wake of the last Russo-Turkish War, the Ottoman Empire lost its possession of numerous territories including Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia. The Russo-Turkish wars dated to the 17th century, the Russians generally gaining territory and influence over the declining Ottoman Empire. In the last war, Russia and Serbia supported rebellions in the Balkans. In concluding the Treaty of San Stefano, the Ottomans released control of Montenegro, Romania and Serbia, granted autonomy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and allowed an autonomous state of Bulgaria to be placed under Russian control.
(HN, 3/3/99)(HNQ, 2/23/01)
1878 Mar 3, The Treaty of San Stefano was signed after Russo-Turkish War. It assigned Albanian-populated lands to Bulgaria, Montenegro and Serbia; but Austria-Hungary and Britain blocked the treaty's implementation. Albanian leaders meet in Prizren, Kosova, to form the League of Prizren. The League initially advocated autonomy for Albania. At the Congress of Berlin, the Great Powers overturned the Treaty of San Stefano and divided Albanian lands among several states. The League of Prizren began to organize resistance to the Treaty of Berlin's provisions that affected Albanians.
(www, Albania, 1998)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_San_Stefano)
1878 Jul 13, The Treaty of Berlin was the final act of the Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878), by which the United Kingdom, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Abdul Hamid II revised the Treaty of San Stefano signed on 3 March the same year. The Treaty of San Stefano had ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. The Congress of Berlin divided the Balkans among European powers. The Slavic converts to Islam in the Sandzak region of southwestern Serbia were separated from their ethnic cousins in Bosnia.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Berlin_(1878)) (AP, 7/13/97)(HN, 7/13/98)(WSJ, 6/16/99, p.A20)
1878 Montenegro was recognized as an independent state when it became a monarchy.
(AP, 5/22/06)
1910 Montenegro, a principality in the 19th century, was recognized as a kingdom.
(AP, 10/20/02)
1912 Oct 8, Montenegro declared war on Turkey beginning the 1st Balkan War. Balkan League members followed Montenegro 10 days later [see Oct 18].
(http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/bravo/balkan1912.htm)
1912 Oct 18, The First Balkan War broke out between the members of the Balkan League-- Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro--and the Ottoman Empire. A small Balkan War broke out and was quelled by the major powers. Albanian nationalism spurred repeated revolts against Turkish dominion and resulted in the First Balkan War in which the Turks were driven out of much of the Balkan Peninsula. Austria-Hungary’s 1908 annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina spurred Serbian efforts to form the Balkan alliance with its neighbors. As a result of the war on Turkey, Serbia doubled its territory with the award of Northern Macedonia. Albanian leaders affirmed Albania as an independent state. [see Oct 8]
(V.D.-H.K.p.290)(CO, Grolier’s/ Albania)(HN, 10/18/98)(HNQ, 3/27/99)(www, Albania, 1998)
1912 Dec 3, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece & Bulgaria signed a weapons pact.
(MC, 12/3/01)
1912 Dec 4, An armistice was signed to end the First Balkan War. Following several victories over the Ottoman army, coalition forces occupied Macedonia and forced the Ottoman Empire to seek an armistice.
(www.maknews.com/html/articles/stefov/stefov61.html)
1913 Aug 10, The Treaty of Bucharest ended the Second Balkan War. It was concluded by the delegates of Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece. The entire "disputed zone" was taken by Serbia, Greece secured its position in Thessaloniki and southeastern Macedonia, the Ottomans regained all the territories lost in the First Balkan War to Bulgaria with the exception of eastern (Pirin) Macedonia, and the Romanians seized Southern Dobruja.
(www.maknews.com/html/articles/stefov/stefov61.html)
1913 Aug 10, The Great Powers recognized an independent Albanian state. Demographics were ignored, however, and half of the territories inhabited by Albanians (such as Kosova and Chameria) were divided among Montenegro, Serbia and Greece.
(www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos149.htm)
1913 Nov, Treaty of Bucharest ended the Second Balkan War. The Great Powers recognized an independent Albanian state. Demographics were ignored, however, and half of the territories inhabited by Albanians (such as Kosova and Chameria) were divided among Montenegro, Serbia and Greece.
(www, Albania, 1998)
1918 Nov 7, The Yugoslav National Conference at Geneva decided on the union of Croatia and Slovenia with Serbia and Montenegro. [see Dec 1]
(BWH, 1988)
1918 Nov 26, Montenegro deposed its king who opposed union and voted to join the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. [see Dec 1]
(BWH, 1988)
1918 Dec 1, The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes [later in 1929 to be called Yugoslavia] was proclaimed by Alexander Karadjordjevic, the son of King Peter of Serbia. It included the previously independent kingdoms of Serbia and Macedonia, the Hungarian-controlled regions of Croatia and Slovenia, the Austrian province of Dalmatia, Carniola and parts of Styria, Carinthia and Istria. King Alexander I renamed the Balkan state called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes to Yugoslavia in 1929.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/map/yugoslavia/1900/)(AP, 10/3/97)(HNQ, 3/26/99)
1921 Mar 1, Montenegro’s Prince Nikola (b.1841) died. He was the ruler of Montenegro from 1860 to 1918, reigning as sovereign prince from 1860 to 1910 and as king from 1910 to 1918.
(http://tinyurl.com/y9vj8zsm)
1929 Oct 3, The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes formally changed its name to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It included the regions of Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Macedonia. King Alexander I renamed the Balkan state called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, Yugoslavia. The Kingdom had been formed on December 1, 1918 and was ruled by the Serbian Karageorgevic dynasty. It included the previously independent kingdoms of Serbia and Macedonia, the Hungarian-controlled regions of Croatia and Slovenia, the Austrian province of Dalmatia, Carniola and parts of Styria, Carinthia and Istria.
(AP, 10/3/97)(HN, 10/3/98)(HNQ, 3/26/99)(LCTH, 10/3/99)
1941-1945 Some 1600-2000 German soldiers were killed in Montenegro in clashes with Yugoslav communist partisans during WWII.
(AP, 8/10/11)
1945 Mar 7, In Yugoslavia the Communist government of Tito formed.
(MC, 3/7/02)(AP, 10/20/02)
1979 In Montenegro an earthquake destroyed much of the Old Town beach resort of Budva.
(SSFC, 10/20/02, p.C6)
1989 Jan 10, In Montenegro Communist League members like Momir Bulatovic and Svetozar Marovic, Dukanovic and Milo Dukanovic (26) effectively gained power through full institutional control.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_%C4%90ukanovi%C4%87)
1990 A multiparty system was introduced in 1990.
(AP, 10/20/02)
1991 Feb 15, Milo Djukanovic began serving as prime minister of Montenegro. He served until 1998 and held a 2nd term from 2003-2006.
(Econ, 2/9/08, p.56)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_%C4%90ukanovi%C4%87)
1991 The Montenegrin Communist League finished its transformation into the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS).
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_%C4%90ukanovi%C4%87)
1991 Entities of Yugoslavia began to split off leaving Serbia and Montenegro. [see Serbia]
(SFC, 10/18/96, A16)
1992 Apr 27, The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed in Belgrade by the Republic of Serbia and its lone ally, Montenegro.
(AP internet, 4/27/97)
1992 The country was placed under embargo for supporting the Bosnian Serb war effort.
(WSJ,11/24/95, p.A-3)
1996 Dec 26, Montenegro threatened to print its own money to counter the inflated dinars of the Milosevic regime.
(SFC, 12/27/96, p.A15)
1997 Jan 17, Janko Jeknic, foreign minister, was killed in a car crash at Novo Selo.
(SFC, 1/18/96, p.C1)
1997 Mar 25, Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic was given a vote of no confidence by hardline supporters of Serbian Pres. Milosevic.
(SFC, 3/26/97, p.C2)
1997 Oct 5, Momir Bulatovic, a Milosevic ally, led pro-Westerner challenger Milo Djukanovic but did not receive a 50% majority due to other candidates. A runoff was scheduled for Oct 19.
(SFC, 10/7/97, p.A15)
1997 Oct 19, In Montenegro Milo Djukanovic beat pro-Milosevic incumbent Momir Bulatovic for the presidency.
(SFC,10/21/97, p.A12)
1997 Oct, The Belgian company Interbrew acquired a 60% stake in the Trebjesa Brewery for $14 million and a 2 year commitment to invest $8.3 million.
(SFC, 7/2/98, p.A16)
1998 Jan 14, Riot police clashed with some 10,000 protestors who attacked government buildings the day before the inauguration of Milan Djukanovic, who favors autonomy from Serbia.
(WSJ, 1/15/98, p.A1)
1998 Feb 11, Former Pres. Momir Bulatovic was indicted with 3 senior aides for activity against the state during the January riots.
(SFC, 2/13/98, p.D5)
1998 Apr 23, The president of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, called for full autonomy for the Kosovo region.
(SFC, 4/24/98, p.A16)
1998 May 9, The leading Group of Eight industrialized countries imposed an investment ban on Serbia and froze and froze the assets abroad of Serbia and Montenegro due to conditions in Kosovo.
(SFEC, 5/10/98, p.A13)
1998 May 18, In Yugoslavia lawmakers loyal to Pres. Slobodan Milosevic voted to oust Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, after he refused to clamp down on reformist leaders in Montenegro.
(SFC, 5/19/98, p.A12)
1998 May 19, In Serbia Pres. Milosevic named Momir Bulatovic as federal prime minister. Montenegro’s parliament said it did not recognize the ouster of Radoje Kontic and that it would no recognize any laws of the federal government.
(SFC, 5/20/98, p.A12)
1998 May 31, A reformist coalition led by Pres. Djukanovic led in national elections with 50.4%.
(SFC, 6/1/98, p.A8)
1999 Mar 29, In Montenegro Pres. Milo Djukanovic made a plea for an end to NATO attacks on Yugoslavia. The country reported that over 30,000 refugees had taken asylum there.
(SFC, 3/30/99, p.A10)
1999 Apr 1, Yugoslav Gen'l. Radoslav Martinovic was recalled by Pres. Milosevic and replaced by nationalist Gen'l. Milorad Obradovic. A coup was feared to be imminent. The Yugoslav military demanded control of Montenegro's state-run TV, but the demand was rejected.
(SFC, 4/2/99, p.A13)(WSJ, 4/5/99, p.A17)
1999 Apr 3, Montenegro announced that over 31,000 Kosovar Albanians had entered the country since NATO assaults began and that it was facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
(SFEC, 4/4/99, p.A10)
1999 Apr 6, NATO bombed Yugoslav forces in Montenegro.
(WSJ, 4/7/99, p.A16)
1999 Apr 8, Pres. Milo Djukanovic warned Gen'l. Milorad Obradovic to stop breaking into homes and forcibly taking citizens into military service.
(SFEC, 4/11/99, p.A28)
1999 Apr 9, It was reported that the US planned to give $10 million in emergency aid to Montenegro.
(WSJ, 4/9/99, p.A10)
1999 Apr 14, Some 3,000 refugees reached the border of Macedonia and another 7,000 were expected. Another 3,000 arrived in Albania. An estimated 18,000 were making their way to Montenegro. Over the last 3 weeks 305,000 arrived in Albania, 121,000 in Macedonia, and 61,000 in Montenegro.
(SFC, 4/15/99, p.A12)
1999 Apr 14, The Yugoslav navy declared all Montenegrin ports closed for 48 hours. The Yugoslav military later assumed control of the port from civilian authorities. Navy warships in the port were used to fire antiaircraft missiles against NATO aircraft.
(WSJ, 5/4/99, p.A17)
1999 Apr 15, NATO bombed TV transmitters, military installations and bridges throughout Yugoslavia. Military targets in Montenegro were struck as was the city of Subotica, near the Hungarian border.
(SFC, 4/16/99, p.A19)
1999 Apr 16, Thousands of refugees poured out of Kosovo as NATO blasted oil refineries, military barracks and airports around Yugoslavia. At least 5,000 refugees crossed into Macedonia, and 8,000 into Albania. Some 100,000 were believed to be enroute to Macedonia.
(SFC, 4/16/99, p.A1)
1999 Apr 18, Yugoslav troops crossed into Montenegro and opened fire on a column of ethnic Albanian refugees near Rozaje. At least 6 people were killed.
(SFC, 4/21/99, p.A1)
1999 Apr 23, The Yugoslav army attempted to issue summonses against the heads of the 2 main independent radio stations, Nebojsa Redzic of Radio Free Montenegro and Miodrag Perovic of Antenna M. No one accepted the summonses.
(SFC, 4/24/99, p.A13)
1999 Apr 30, NATO undertook over 600 sorties and strikes in Montenegro and Kosovo reportedly killed 13 people.
(SFC, 5/1/99, p.A1)
1999 May 20, The Yugoslav army took control of the borders to prevent men escaping into Bosnia and to halt the flow of recruits and weapons to the KLA.
(WSJ, 5/21/99, p.A9)
1999 May 24, Montenegro drafted a decree that would allow it to prosecute all Yugoslav army officers involved in such acts as the confiscation of humanitarian aid, the seizure of the borders and breaking into the houses of Montenegrins evading military service.
(WSJ, 5/25/99, p.A23)
1999 Aug 5, Montenegro proposed changes to its relationship with Serbia that would dissolve Yugoslavia and replace it with a loose association.
(SFC, 8/6/99, p.A12)
1999 Dec 8, In Montenegro Serbian troops occupied the main airport for one day. Montenegro had planned to assume control of the airport Dec 9.
(SFC, 12/9/99, p.A18)(SFC, 12/10/99, p.D8)
2000 Mar 6, Serbia sealed its border with Montenegro as relations worsened.
(WSJ, 3/7/00, p.A1)
2000 May 31, In Montenegro Goran Zugic (39), security advisor to Pres. Milo Dzukanovic, was gunned down as he arrived home.
(SFC, 6/2/00, p.A18)
2000 Jun 11, In Montenegro voters kept the pro-West government in the capital, Podgorica, but elected allies of Slobodan Milosevic in Herceg Novi.
(WSJ, 6/12/00, p.A1)(SFC, 6/13/00, p.A11)
2000 Jun 16, Serb opposition leader Vuk Draskovic was slightly wounded in an assassination attempt at his vacation home in Budva, Montenegro. Montenegro authorities reported the arrest of the attackers.
(SFC, 6/16/00, p.A19)(SFC, 6/17/00, p.A8)
2000 cJun 25, Montenegro told the UN that it no longer wants to be represented by Yugoslavia.
(WSJ, 6/26/00, p.A1)
2000 Jul 6, Pres. Milosevic changed the constitution to allow himself to run for re-election. He also reduced Montenegro’s power in the Yugoslav federation by changing how delegates are selected for the upper house.
(SFC, 7/7/00, p.A12)
2000 Aug 1, Two Britons and 2 Canadians were arrested in northern Montenegro while driving to Kosovo on suspicion of spying and terrorism.
(SFC, 8/8/00, p.A12)
2000 Sep 24, Elections in Serbia and Montenegro showed Vojislav Kostunica leading by a wide margin over Pres. Milosevic.
(SFC, 9/26/00, p.A1)
2000 Oct 17, Montenegro Pres. Milo Djukanovic refused to take part in national institutions with Serbia until the Montenegro-Serbia relationship is redefined.
(SFC, 10/18/00, p.A12)
2000 Nov 10, Pres. Djukanovic called for international recognition as an independent state from Serbia. He threatened a referendum on seceding from Yugoslavia unless their union is radically revamped.
(SFC, 11/11/00, p.A14)
2000 Dec 26, In Montenegro 3 military commanders were dismissed by the Yugoslav top defense body as a concession to Pres. Djukanovic.
(SFC, 12/27/00, p.A16)
2001 Jan 8, In Montenegro assassins killed a senior secret-service officer in Podgorica.
(WSJ, 1/09/01, p.A1)
2001 Feb 1, Pres. Milo Djukanovic visited Washington DC to explain his reasons for independence, but Sc. Of State Colin Powell refused to see him.
(SFC, 2/2/01, p.D4)
2001 Apr 22, In Montenegro parliamentary elections pro-independence advocates won 42% of the seats vs. 40.6% for the opposition.
(SFC, 4/22/01, p.D1)(SFC, 4/23/01, p.A8)(SFC, 4/24/01, p.A10)
2001 Jun 16, It was reported that the weekly Nacional had accused Pres. Djukanovic of amassing $65 million from cigarette smuggling over the last decade and had ordered contract killings of associates.
(SSFC, 6/17/01, p.A16)
2001 Jul 17, Pres. Kostunica appointed Dragisa Pesic as the new Prime Minister.
(SFC, 7/18/01, p.C4)
2002 Mar 14, Yugoslavia was declared dead as Serbia and Montenegro agreed to rename their federation: “Serbia and Montenegro."
(SFC, 3/15/02, p.A6)
2002 Mar 20, A pro-independence party quit the ruling coalition to protest the federation deal with Serbia.
(WSJ, 3/21/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 19, PM Filip Vujanovic resigned over the coalition deal with Serbia.
(SFC, 4/20/02, p.A13)
2002 Oct 20, In Montenegro the pro-independence party of Pres. Milo Djukanovic won 39 of the 75 seats.
(AP, 10/20/02)(SFC, 10/21/02, p.A5)
2002 Nov 5, Montenegro's ruling party nominated president Milo Djukanovic to serve as the new prime minister. The presidential vote is set for Dec 22.
(AP, 11/5/02)
2002 Nov, In Montenegro Svetlana C. (28) of Moldava escaped from a brothel near the capital, Podgorica, and went to the police. Local newspapers reported that politicians and other members of Montenegro's ruling elite frequented the brothel and took part in orgies at which women were tortured.
(AP, 7/7/03)
2002 Dec 22, Montenegro held presidential elections but voters failed to turn out in sufficient numbers.
(AP, 12/22/02)(WSJ, 12/24/02, p.A1)
2003 Jan 29, Montenegro lawmakers voted to abolish Yugoslavia and replace it with a loose union of semi-independent states called Serbia and Montenegro.
(SFC, 1/30/03, p.A8)
2003 Feb 4, Yugoslavia’s parliament transformed the federation into a loose union between Montenegro and Serbia and retired the name “Yugoslavia."
(WSJ, 2/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Feb 9, Montenegro's 2nd attempt in 2 months to elect a president failed.
(AP, 2/10/03)
2003 Mar 3, Lawmakers from Serbia and Montenegro inaugurated their new parliament, formally replacing Yugoslavia with the new state.
(AP, 3/3/03)
2003 Apr 3, Serbia and Montenegro became a member of the Council of Europe.
(AP, 4/3/03)
2003 May 11, Montenegro held its 3rd presidential election in six months and former prime minister Filip Vujanovic, who favors independence from Serbia, won a landslide victory. He promised to hold a referendum in 3 years on whether to split with Serbia.
(AP, 5/11/03)(AP, 5/12/03)(WSJ, 5/13/03, p.A1)
2003 Sep 7, Goran Markovic's "The Cordon", a film from Serbia and Montenegro about the behavior of policemen during the demonstrations against president Slobodan Milosevic in 1997, won the top prize at the Montreal film festival.
(Reuters, 9/7/03)
2003 Nov 13, Svetozar Marovic, Serbia-Montenegro's president, apologized in Sarajevo for the pain his country inflicted upon Bosnia during the 1992-95 war.
(AP, 11/14/03)
2003 Nov 13, Serbia dissolved its parliament and announced early elections, signaling the collapse of the government three years after the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic. PM Zoran Zivkovic to agree, under pressure from political defectors and Milosevic supporters, to set a new parliamentary vote for Dec. 28, a year ahead of schedule.
(AP, 11/14/03)
2004 May 28, In Montenegro gunmen shot dead Dusko Jovanovic, the editor of a conservative daily. PM Djukanovic had sued Jovanovic and the Dan daily for stories linking the premier to a major human trafficking case. A court hearing was to begin next month. Damir Mandic was tried and acquitted in 2006 but that ruling was overturned after an appeal, and a retrial was held. In 2009 the Montenegro Higher Court ruled that karate expert Damir Mandic was guilty of the "well-planned and premeditated" murder of editor Dusko Jovanovic.
(AP, 5/28/04)(AP, 4/28/09)
2005 Feb 22, Montenegro's President Filip Vujanovic and PM Milo Djukanovic proposed the peaceful disintegration of Serbia-Montenegro, suggesting that the two former Yugoslav republics recognize each other as sovereign states.
(AP, 2/23/05)
2005 Feb 23, Serbia's prime minister and other top officials flatly rejected Montenegro's proposal for a final split of their joint state.
(AP, 2/23/05)
2005 Apr 12, An EU feasibility study deemed Serbia and Montenegro worthy to start accession talks.
(Econ, 4/16/05, p.43)
2005 Apr, Oleg Deripaska, Russian oligarch, planned to buy KAP, Montenegro’s aluminium plant. KAP accounted for up to 40% of Montenegro’s GDP and was seen as an environmental nightmare. The deal included $20 million for environmental clean-up.
(Econ, 4/30/05, p.47)
2005 Jun 9, The US lifted its freeze on a $10 million aid package for Serbia-Montenegro, saying the Balkan country had shown better cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal.
(AP, 6/9/05)
2005 Jul, Montenegro agreed to pay Croatia $460,000 in war compensation for cattle taken by its soldiers in June, 1991.
(Econ, 7/30/05, p.46)
2005 Oct 21, Lawmakers of Serbia and Montenegro elected Zoran Stankovic (51), a reported ally of notorious war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic, as the new defense minister.
(AP, 10/21/05)
2006 Jan 23, In Montenegro a packed passenger train derailed and plunged into a steep river canyon outside the capital of Podgorica, killing at least 44 people and injuring more than 135, more than half of them children.
(AP, 1/24/06)
2006 Feb 16, Serbia rejected European Union's guidelines for an independence vote in Montenegro, increasing tensions within the troubled Balkan state.
(AP, 2/16/06)
2006 May 21, Montenegro voted by a slim margin to secede from Serbia and form a separate nation, erasing the last vestiges of the former Yugoslavia. More than 55 percent of Montenegrins voted for independence.
(Econ, 3/4/06, p.47)(AP, 5/22/06)(AFP, 7/19/18)
2006 May 23, Serbia's president said he recognized the results of the independence vote in Montenegro that will separate the tiny Adriatic republic from its union with Serbia.
(AP, 5/23/06)
2006 Jun 3, Montenegro's parliament declared independence from Serbia, forming Europe's newest country and dissolving the last vestiges of the former Yugoslavia.
(AP, 6/3/06)
2006 Jun 15, The Serbian government recognized newly independent Montenegro, and said it would establish diplomatic ties with its former partner.
(AP, 6/15/06)
2006 Jun 22, The UN Security Council unanimously recommended that newly independent Montenegro become the 192nd member of the United Nations.
(AP, 6/23/06)
2006 Jun 28, The UN General Assembly unanimously admitted the newly independent Republic of Montenegro as the 192nd member of the world body.
(AP, 6/28/06)
2006 Sep 10, Montenegrins voted in the first parliamentary elections since the tiny state split from Serbia. Police announced a crackdown on an alleged ethnic Albanian terrorist group authorities said had threatened the ballot. The coalition of PM Milo Djukanovic headed for an absolute majority with a projected 41 seats in the 81-seat parliament.
(AP, 9/10/06)(SFC, 9/11/06, p.A3)
2006 Sep 12, Montenegro's election authorities said the governing pro-Western coalition led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic won last weekend's parliamentary elections.
(AP, 9/12/06)
2006 Nov 29, NATO leaders finished a two-day summit without agreement on some members' refusal to send troops into combat in Afghanistan's most dangerous regions. NATO vowed to give its troubled mission in Afghanistan the "forces, resources and flexibility needed" to tackle increasingly ferocious Taliban fighters. Leaders invited Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina to join a program considered a first step toward eventual membership, but urged Serbia and Bosnia to fully cooperate with the UN war crimes tribunal.
(AP, 11/29/06)(AFP, 11/29/06)
2007 Feb 21, Montenegro police arrested Smail Tulja (67) in his home in Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, on an international arrest warrant that the authorities received from FBI and Interpol agents. He was wanted for the killing and dismemberment of an elderly woman in New York City in 1990 and is also suspected in similar slayings of women throughout Europe.
(AP, 2/22/07)
2007 Mar 12, In Nigeria’s oil region hostage takers released 3 European captives. 2 Croatians and one Montenegrin seized Feb. 18 in Port Harcourt were in good health after their release to state officials.
(AP, 3/12/07)
2007 Mar 15, Montenegro signed a stabilization and association agreement (SAA), usually the first step toward EU membership.
(Econ, 3/24/07, p.60)
2007 Jun 17, Authorities in Montenegro arrested Vlastimir Djordjevic, Serbia's assistant interior minister and chief of the Public Security Department (1997-2001), wanted for murder and persecution of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
(AP, 6/17/07)
2007 Oct 15, Montenegro signed a stabilization and association agreement with the EU, normally a step towards membership.
(Econ, 10/20/07, p.72)
2007 Elizabeth Roberts authored “Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro."
(Econ, 2/3/07, p.85)
2008 Apr 6, Montenegrins voted in the tiny Balkan state's first presidential election since it split from Serbia two years ago. President Filip Vujanovic won re-election by a landslide, cementing Montenegro's westward economic and political course since breaking away from Serbia two years ago.
(AP, 4/6/08)(AP, 4/7/08)
2008 Aug 5, In Montenegro 4 Michigan residents were among 12 ethnic Albanians convicted of plotting a rebellion to carve out a homeland within the tiny Balkan republic.
(AP, 8/5/08)
2008 Aug 21, A Montenegrin court ordered three US citizens and seven other ethnic Albanians back to prison after convicting them of plotting a rebellion to establish an Albanian autonomous region within the Adriatic country.
(AP, 8/22/08)
2008 Oct 9, Montenegro and Macedonia recognized Kosovo's independence, despite opposition from Serbia, which called the moves by its Balkan neighbors a betrayal and expelled the Montenegrin ambassador from Belgrade.
(AP, 10/9/08)
2008 The population of Montenegro numbered about 650,000.
(Econ, 1/10/09, p.46)
2009 Jan, In Montenegro a huge aluminium factory on the edge of Podgornica struggled under falling metal prices. Controlled by Oleg Deripaska, a Russian tycoon, it depended on large quantities of subsidized electricity. The factory and its related industries accounted for 40% of the country’s GDP.
(Econ, 1/10/09, p.46)
2009 Nov 30, The EU Council of Ministers for Interior and Justice abolished visa requirements for citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area#Current)
2009 Dec 19, The European Union opened its borders unrestricted to more than ten million Serbs, Montenegrins and Macedonians after nearly 20 years, a major boost for the troubled region's hopes for closer ties with the 27-nation bloc.
(AP, 12/19/09)
2009 Dec, Police in Uruguay seized a large amount of cocaine from an anchored yacht as part of an operation dubbed “Balkan Warrior." 2.7 tons were seized in the operation. In 2010 Serbia indicted Darko Saric, a Serb citizen from Montenegro, and 19 associates of smuggling drugs from South America to Europe. Saric disappeared but financial documents linked him to companies registered in the Marshall Islands and Delaware via the Bank of Cyprus and an Austrian bank in Montenegro, a branch of Hypo Group Alpe-Adria.
(Econ, 5/8/10, p.56)(Econ, 9/11/10, p.63)
2010 May 30, In Montenegro Ivan Vracar allegedly pulled a pistol on him and killed Dragan Dudic, the owner of the Maximus disco and other enterprises. Dudic was being investigated in connection with money laundering and was a close associate of Darko Saric, a man on the run and who is accused of being the kingpin of a major drug smuggling gang.
(www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2010/05/montenegrin_murder)(Econ, 9/11/10, p.63)
2010 Nov, Italy and Montenegro agreed to build an undersea cable to let Montenegro export electricity.
(Econ, 12/18/10, p.100)
2010 Dec 29, Igor Luksic (b.1976) took office as prime minister of Montenegro.
(Econ, 6/16/12, p.63)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Luk%C5%A1i%C4%87)
2010 Dec 2, Heavy snow caused travel chaos across much of northern Europe, keeping London's Gatwick airport closed for a second day and disrupting road and rail travel in France, Germany and Switzerland. Freezing temperatures and often blinding snowfall killed 12 people, 10 in Poland and 2 in Germany. Poland had already reported 8 dead due to the cold. Some of the worst floods in a century devastated parts of the Balkans. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro.
(Reuters, 12/2/10)(AP, 12/2/10)
2010 Dec 3, Authorities in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro declared a state of emergency and evacuated hundreds of people after heavy rainfall caused severe flooding along the Drina River, the worst in 104 years.
(AP, 12/3/10)
2011 Nov 7, Officials from Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, announced plans for a donors' conference to be held next year and raise the money needed to implement a five-year plan designed to close down all migrant centers and provide housing for some 74,000 people.
(AP, 11/7/11)
2012 Feb 22, In Montenegro US Army Black Hawk helicopters began dropping food, medicine and livestock feed to people stranded in the central mountains as villagers were hit by the country’s heaviest snowfall in 60 years.
(SSFC, 2/26/12, p.A4)
2012 Jul 16, Firefighters in Montenegro struggled to contain wildfires that threatened an ancient pine forest in the northeast of the country. The blaze had reached the outer rim of the Crna Poda forest, where some of the pine trees are 400 years old.
(AP, 7/16/12)
2012 Jul 24, In Montenegro some 850 Roma people, who had fled Kosovo during the 1998-99 war, lost their belongings in the fire that swept through the refugee barracks in the suburb of Konik. No one was injured.
(AP, 7/25/12)
2012 Oct 14, Montenegro held elections. The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) led by Milo Djukanovic won.
(Econ, 10/20/12, p.50)
2013 Mar 29, A court in Bosnia convicted a Montenegrin man of multiple counts of murder, torture, rape and looting during Bosnia's 1992-95 war, and sentenced him to 45 years in prison. A judge said Veselin Vlahovic (43) killed 31 people, raped a number of Bosniak and Croat women and tortured and robbed non-Serb residents of a Sarajevo suburb while fighting for the Bosnian Serbs.
(AP, 3/29/13)
2013 Apr 7, Montenegro held elections.
(AP, 4/20/13)
2013 Apr 8, Montenegro’s election commission said incumbent Filip Vujanovic has won a 3rd term as president with 51.2% of the vote over challenger Miodrag Lekic, who received 48.8%.
(SFC, 4/9/13, p.A2)
2013 Apr 20, In Montenegro more than 5,000 opposition supporters rallied claiming their leader was cheated of victory in the April 7 presidential ballot. The opposition claimed their candidate Miodrag Lekic was robbed.
(AP, 4/20/13)
2013 Jun 23, In Montenegro a bus fell from a bridge over the Moraca river during a rainstorm and crashed some 40 meters (130 feet) into a ravine. 18 Romanian tourists were killed and 28 hospitalized.
(AP, 6/24/13)
2013 Jul 24, In Montenegro several hundred extremists shouting "Kill the gays" attacked gay activists and clashed with police in a bid to disrupt the first ever pride event in the staunchly conservative country.
(AP, 7/24/13)
2013 Oct 20, Montenegro police used tear gas against dozens of rock-throwing opponents of a gay pride march in Podgorica.
(AP, 10/20/13)
2013 Dec 27, In Montenegro an overnight bomb blast shook the offices of the leading daily Vijesti in the latest attack on a newspaper known for its criticism of the authorities under long-term leader Milo Djukanovic.
(Reuters, 12/27/13)
2014 Feb 15, Montenegro police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing protesters who were blaming the government for high unemployment, economic mismanagement and alleged corruption, and demanding its resignation.
(AP, 2/15/14)
2014 Jun 4, Montenegro authorities seized 250 kilograms of cocaine from South America in one of the biggest-ever drug busts in nation.
(AP, 6/5/14)
2014 Nov 2, In Montenegro, a staunchly conservative Balkan country seeking EU membership, about 200 gay activists marched peacefully protected by hundreds of riot police.
(AP, 11/2/14)
2015 Jan 16, In Montenegro hundreds of Serb nationalists demonstrated against a visit by Kosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci, chanting "Kill! Kill!" as he met with his counterpart Igor Luiksic. Serb nationalists accuse Thaci, a former ethnic Albanian rebel leader, of war crimes against Kosovo Serbs during the 1998-99 war for independence.
(AP, 1/16/15)
2015 Apr 17, Montenegro police said they have arrested 16 people suspected of smuggling into Serbia 138 Syrian migrants who were trying to flee their war-ravaged country and reach Western Europe.
(AP, 4/17/15)
2015 Aug 4, Russia's PM Dmitry Medvedev ordered preparation of retaliatory measures against several non-EU European nations that have joined the European Union's sanctions against Russia. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine joined the EU sanctions last week.
(AP, 8/4/15)
2015 Aug 13, Russia broadened a food embargo imposed in retaliation for Western sanctions over Ukraine to include Iceland, a significant fish importer, as well as Montenegro, Albania and Liechtenstein.
(AFP, 8/13/15)
2015 Dec 2, NATO invited Montenegro to become the 29th member of the US-led military alliance, defying Russia's warnings it would have to respond to what it branded a threat to its security. Russia said it will end joint projects with Montenegro if the ex-Communist country joins NATO.
(AFP, 12/2/15)(Reuters, 12/2/15)
2015 Dec 17, Montenegro police detained Svetozar Marovic (60), who served as president of Serbia-Montenegro before Montenegro split from the union in 2006, on suspicion of abuse of power and embezzlement of millions of euros.
(AP, 12/17/15)
2016 Mar 28, Montenegro authorities deported 58 foreigners, including 43 Russians, associated with a religious cult. Local media reported that they are members of Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese doomsday cult that carried out a deadly nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subway in 1995.
(AP, 3/29/16)
2016 May 19, NATO invited the Balkan nation of Montenegro to become its 29th member, agreeing to expand for only the seventh time in its history despite Russia's angry objections.
(AP, 5/19/16)
2016 Jun 22, The Pentagon said a Yemeni man who had been held at the US military prison at Guantanamo for 14 years has been transferred to Montenegro. The transfer of Abdel Malik Ahmed Abdel Wahab al-Rahabi (36) left 79 detainees remaining at the base. He was brought to Guantanamo in January 2002, accused of being a bodyguard for the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
(AP, 6/23/16)
2016 Aug 4, Montenegro's police arrested Vlado Zmajevic (47) suspected of killing at least six ethnic Albanians, including two women, in a Kosovo village in 1999.
(AP, 8/4/16)
2016 Aug 4, Kosovo's government ratified a border demarcation agreement with neighboring Montenegro, despite disapproval from the opposition. The government sent the deal to the Parliament, which was expected to concur.
(AP, 8/4/16)
2016 Aug 30, Montenegrin police used pepper spray to stop laid-off employees of an aluminum smelter from storming the parliament building.
(AP, 8/30/16)
2016 Oct 16, In Montenegro a coup attempt included plans to assassinate the pro-Western PM Milo Djukanovic because of his government's bid to join NATO.
(AP, 4/13/17)
2016 Nov 6, Montenegro’s chief special prosecutor said Russian nationalists were behind the alleged Oct 16 coup attempt that included plans to assassinate the pro-Western prime minister because of his government's bid to join NATO.
(AP, 11/6/16)
2016 Nov 7, Montenegrin lawmakers convened for the first time since last month's election, with opposition parties boycotting the inaugural session. The session in Cetinje was attended by 42 lawmakers of the 81-seat parliament.
(AP, 11/7/16)
2016 Nov 19, Montenegro officials inaugurated a cemetery for German soldiers killed in the country during WW II, hailing it as an act of reconciliation important for the future. About 2,000 German soldiers are believed to have been killed in Montenegro. About 500 have been unearthed so far and the rest are considered missing.
(AP, 11/19/16)
2016 Nov 28, Montenegro's parliament endorsed a new cabinet led by Dusko Markovic (58), a former head of the secret police who pledged to lead the country's accession to NATO and the European Union.
(Reuters, 11/28/16)
2016 Dec 14, Montenegro's defense minister said the small Balkan country will decide whether to join NATO in a parliamentary vote and not a popular referendum as sought by the opposition and Russia.
(AP, 12/14/16)
2016 Dec 17, In Montenegro dozens of people in Podgorica participated in a gay pride event in the highly conservative state where authorities have promised to boost gay rights as part of efforts to join the European Union.
(AP, 12/17/16)
2017 Jan 28, It was reported that heavily-armed police are guarding the streets of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, after a spike in gangland violence rattled the Balkan country, which is on the brink of joining NATO.
(AFP, 1/28/17)
2017 Feb 9, A Serbian court rejected an extradition request by Montenegro for Nemanja Ristic, a suspect in an alleged pro-Russia plot to overthrow the small Balkan country's government.
(AP, 2/10/17)
2017 Feb 15, Montenegro's parliament voted to strip two pro-Russian opposition MPs of their immunity over alleged involvement in a foiled coup last October, but a prosecutor ruled the pair would not be arrested.
(AFP, 2/15/17)
2017 Feb 17, In Montenegro dozens of women who braved cold weather to spend a night outside government headquarters to protest cuts in state aid for mothers of three or more children dispersed and agreed to meet a government delegation next week.
(AP, 2/17/17)
2017 Mar 14, Montenegro's former PM Milo Djukanovic called on the European Union to stop Russia's "destructive" influence in the Balkans.
(AP, 3/14/17)
2017 Mar 28, Montenegro became set to become NATO's 29th member following the US Senate's overwhelming ratification.
(AP, 3/29/17)
2017 Apr 13, Montenegro's special prosecutor indicted two Russians and 12 other people for allegedly plotting a coup last October that included plans to kill the country's former prime minister. The Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, allegedly coordinated the operation from neighboring Serbia.
(AP, 4/13/17)
2017 Apr 27, Montenegro's PM Dusko Markovic said Russia has banned the import of its best-known wine because of the Balkan country's decision to become a member of NATO. Markovic said Russian authorities reported finding pesticides and plastic in wine and other products made by the Plantaze company.
(AP, 4/27/17)
2017 Apr 28, Montenegro’s parliament ratified the country's membership agreement with NATO, taking the tiny former Yugoslav republic one step closer to becoming the 29th member of the Atlantic alliance.
(Reuters, 4/28/17)
2017 Jun 5, Montenegro silently celebrated its entry into NATO in a historic turn that has made the Kremlin furious. Montenegro, with an army numbering under 2,000 personnel, became the 29th member of the world's biggest military alliance, and one of its smallest contributors..
(AP, 6/5/17)(AP, 6/7/17)(AFP, 7/19/18)
2017 Jun 8, Montenegro's higher court confirmed prosecution indictments against 14 people, including two Russians charged with masterminding a coup attempt last Oct 16 aimed at preventing Montenegro from joining NATO.
(AP, 6/8/17)
2017 Jun, US agents extracted a high-level mole in the Russian government who had confirmed Vladimir Putin's direct role in interfering in the 2016 presidential election. This was only made public in 2019. On Sept. 10, 2019, Russian daily newspaper Kommersant said the official may have been a man called Oleg Smolenkov, who was reported to have disappeared with his wife, Antonina, and three children while on holiday in Montenegro in June 2017.
(AFP, 9/10/19)(Reuters, 9/10/19)
2017 Jul 17, Croatian firefighters battled for a second day to try and control a raging forest fire along the Adriatic coast that has destroyed or damaged several buildings in villages located around the city of Split. At least 100 tourists have been forced to evacuate from a coastal area in Montenegro due to the fires.
(Reuters, 7/17/17)(AP, 7/17/17)
2017 Aug 2, US VP Mike Pence spoke in Montenegro at the opening of a US-backed summit of top Balkan officials. He pledged Washington's commitment to the area that Russia also considers a zone of interest. Kosovo's president said Pence pledged to help eliminate the obstacles to Kosovo becoming a full NATO member.
(AP, 8/2/17)
2017 Aug 26, In Albania prime ministers from Western Balkans countries agreed on a road map to deepen their regional economic cooperation as part of the process for joining the European Union. Albanian PM Edi Rama hosted his counterparts from Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro.
(AP, 8/26/17)
2017 Sep 13, Police in Bosnia and Montenegro arrested 21 men suspected of smuggling close to 200 Turks to the European Union. They had transferred migrants by plane from Istanbul to Sarajevo and Podgorica.
(Reuters, 9/14/17)
2017 Sep 23, In Montenegro about 200 people have gathered at an LGBT pride event urging more rights and zero tolerance for violence against gay people in the conservative Balkan country.
(AP, 9/23/17)
2017 Oct 26, In Montenegro a key witness in the trial of 14 suspected plotters to topple the government directly implicated an alleged Russian secret service operative in organizing a coup attempt by supplying money and defining goals in order to prevent the small Balkan nation from joining NATO. Aleksandar Sindjelic testified in court that Eduard Shishmakov gave him money to organize about 500 people to trigger disturbances in the capital, Podgorica, on the day of last year's parliamentary election.
(AP, 10/26/17)
2017 Oct 30, Montenegro’s defense minister said the Greek and Italian air forces will protect the airspace over the newest NATO-member state. Montenegro joined NATO in June as the military alliance's 29th member.
(AP, 10/30/17)
2018 Jan 30, Montenegro signed a 30 million euro ($37 million) deal to buy three helicopters made by Bell Helicopter, part of Textron Inc, in a drive by NATO's newest member to bolster its defenses.
(Reuters, 1/30/18)
2018 Feb 6, The EU warned Balkan countries hoping to join the bloc that none will be invited until they have resolved all disputes with their neighbors. This applied to Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and its former territory of Kosovo.
(AP, 2/6/18)
2018 Feb 16, Kosovo and Montenegro announced they had reached a deal on a 2015 border agreement between the two countries, a step toward Kosovo gaining visa-free travel to the European Union.
(Reuters, 2/16/18)
2018 Feb 22, Montenegro police said a Yugoslav army veteran who manned anti-aircraft defenses during the NATO bombing in 1999 tossed a hand grenade into the US embassy compound in Podgorica, around midnight and then blew himself up. Media named him as Dalibor Jaukovic (43), a decorated Yugoslav army veteran.
(Reuters, 2/22/18)(SFC, 2/23/18, p.A2)
2018 Mar 28, Montenegro decided to expel a Russian diplomat over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent that the British government has blamed on Moscow.
(Reuters, 3/28/18)
2018 Apr 2, Russia's foreign ministry said a diplomat from Montenegro will be expelled, after Montenegro expelled a Russian diplomat over a nerve agent attack in England that the British government has blamed on Russia.
(Reuters, 4/2/18)
2018 Apr 15, The people of Montenegro began voting in polls expected to see pro-Western six-time former prime minister Milo Djukanovic elected as president of the tiny Balkan nation that is aspiring to join the EU. Djukanovic won the presidential election to extend his dominance over the country's politics.
(AFP, 4/15/18)(Reuters, 4/16/18)
2018 May 4, Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci agreed the country's border with Montenegro, a development that takes Kosovo one step nearer to joining Europe's free travel Schengen zone. Montenegro has already approved the deal.
(AP, 5/4/18)
2018 May 8, In Montenegro assailants opened fire and wounded crime and corruption journalist Olivera Lakic, who works for the independent Vijesti daily. She has written about alleged murky businesses involving top state officials and their families.
(AP, 5/9/18)
2018 May 9, In Montenegro hundreds protested in Podgorica after unknown assailants shot and wounded Olivera Lakic, a prominent crime and corruption reporter a day earlier.
(AP, 5/9/18)
2018 May 9, An international report was released into the situation of the Roma people in the Western Balkans. It showed that up to 93 percent of Roma women are unemployed, with one-third of all Roma families there going to bed hungry. The study covered Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.
(AP, 5/9/18)
2018 Jun 5, NATO aircraft started policing Montenegro's airspace, a year after the small Adriatic state became a member of the Western military alliance despite strong opposition from Russia.
(AP, 6/5/18)
2018 Jun 7, Montenegrin state TV's managing board removed director general Andrijana Kadija, citing an allegedly damaging agreement with a rights group.
(AP, 6/8/18)
2018 Jul 24, Hungary's PM Viktor Orban offered to help small Montenegro guard its borders against migrants, insisting that the Balkans should remain closed for people trying to reach Western Europe.
(AP, 7/24/18)
2018 Oct 31, Albanian police said they have arrested five people suspected of trafficking migrants from Greece to Montenegro following a months-long investigation.
(AP, 10/31/18)
2018 Nov 6, Representatives from Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia signed an agreement to identify victims of the 1990s wars. Around 12,000 people were still not accounted for out of the 40,000 missing from the wars that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.
(AFP, 11/7/18)
2018 Nov 30, Montenegrin police arrested Nebojsa Medojevic, a lawmaker and a prominent opposition leader, after a high court ordered he serve a two-month jail sentence passed in March for refusing to testify about high-level corruption.
(Reuters, 11/30/18)
2019 Apr 4, Six Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo) signed an EU-backed agreement in Belgrade to abolish roaming charges by 2021 as part of efforts to boost cooperation in the region.
(AP, 4/4/19)
2019 Apr 19, Montenegrin military police seized around 50 kg of drugs on board a naval training ship, hours before it was scheduled to take students on a training cruise.
(Reuters, 4/19/19)
2019 May 9, A Montenegro court sentenced 13 people, including two Russian secret service operatives, to up to 15 years in prison after they were convicted of plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government on Oct. 16, 2016, and prevent it from joining NATO. The two Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, were tried in absentia.
(AP, 5/09/19)
2019 Jun 3, A UN said people in all major cities across the western Balkans face alarming levels of air pollution that are reducing their life expectancies because the underdeveloped, politically fragile region is still heavily reliant on burning coal to generate power. The report was prepared cooperation with the WHO and air quality management institutions in Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
(AP, 6/3/19)
2019 Dec 15, In Montenegro police Officer Milutin Lekovic (41) was shot and killed while apprehending suspects. Three Albanian nationals were soon detained in connection with the slaying. Lekovic had detained three suspects he had caught without documents in the area that is close to the border with European Union member Croatia.
(AP, 12/16/19)
2019 Dec 24, In Montenegro Serbian Orthodox Church clergy protested against the planned adoption of a religious law that they say will strip the church of its property. The law envisages that religious communities in Montenegro would need to produce evidence of ownership over their property from before 1918, when Montenegro joined a Balkan kingdom.
(AP, 12/24/19)
2019 Dec 27, Montenegro’s Parliament adopted a contested law on religious rights after chaotic scenes that saw the detention of all pro-Serb opposition lawmakers. The government pushed through parliament a bill that requires religious groups to prove ownership over land and places of worship they had before 1918, or see the property become state-owned.
(AP, 12/27/19)(Bloomberg, 3/7/20)
2020 Jan 2, In Serbia a crowd targeted the Montenegro's unguarded embassy in Belgrade during a protest of a religious rights law adopted by Montenegro's parliament last month.
(SFC, 1/4/20, p.A4)
2020 Feb 29, In Montenegro thousands of people, led by Serbian Orthodox Church clerics, marched peacefully through the Podgorica in protest against a law they fear will be used to target the church's assets and status.
(Reuters, 2/29/20)
2020 Apr 21, Montenegrin health authorities said they would shorten a curfew and allow shops to work longer hours. The country has reported 313 infections among a population of 630,000. Five people have died and 90 recovered so far.
(Reuters, 4/21/20)
2020 May 12, In Montenegro hundreds of Serbian Orthodox pilgrims used hand sanitizer and wore face masks as they entered the Ostrog Monastery to mark the Day of St Vasilije Ostroski the Miracle Maker, a 17th century bishop after whom the monastery is named. Montenegro has reported 324 cases of the coronavirus and nine deaths.
(Reuters, 5/12/20)
2020 May 13, In Montenegro clashes erupted when protesters demanded the release of eight Serbian Orthodox Church priests jailed for leading a religious procession despite a ban on gatherings related to the coronavirus outbreak. At least 60 people were detained in Niksic and Pljevlja.
(SFC, 5/15/20, p.A2)
2020 Jun 15, Montenegro reported a new COVID-19 case, a person who arrived from neighboring Bosnia, three weeks after declaring it was free of the coronavirus.
(Reuters, 6/15/20)
2020 Jul 13, The Czech Republic reimposed restrictions for travel to Serbia and Montenegro after a spike of new coronavirus cases in the Balkan countries.
(AP, 7/13/20)
2020 Aug 30, Voters in Montenegro cast ballots in tense parliamentary elections that pit the long-ruling pro-Western party against the opposition seeking closer ties with Serbia and Russia. The pro-Serb and Russian opposition groups claimed victory against the ruling pro-Western party.
(AP, 8/30/20)
2020 Sep 6, In Montenegro several thousand protesters gathered in Podgorica in a show of support for the ruling pro-Western party, which could lose power if the pro-Serb and pro-Russian groups manage to form a ruling coalition.
(AP, 9/6/20)
2020 Sep 9, The leaders of the three main opposition groups in Montenegro signed a coalition agreement to form the next government and sought to alleviate fears that they would steer the small Balkan state off its pro-Western course and back toward traditional allies Serbia and Russia.
(AP, 9/9/20)
2020 Sep 10, Montenegro reported 128 new coronavirus cases, with nearly every fifth person tested found to be positive.
(AP, 9/11/20)
2020 Oct 20, Montenegro has become the country recording one of the highest numbers of cases relative to its population, with over 4,232 active cases among its 620,000 people. 240 people in Montenegro have died from the disease, while 15,760 have fallen ill.
(Reuters, 10/20/20)
2020 Nov 13, Montenegro introduced a two-week overnight lockdown to rein in a major spike in coronavirus infections.
(Reuters, 11/13/20)
2020 Nov 28, Montenegro’s outgoing cabinet proclaimed the Serbian diplomat persona non grata, citing his “long and continuous meddling in the internal affairs of Montenegro."
(AP, 11/30/20)
Go to http://www.timelinesdb.com
Subject = Montenegro
End of file.