In a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

on 21 May 2006, the people of

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

opted to leave the

State Union of Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

. This result was confirmed with a

declaration of independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

by the Montenegrin parliament on 3 June 2006. It simultaneously requested international recognition and outlined foreign policy goals. As enumerated in the parliamentary declaration of 3 June 2006, Montenegro's near-term primary foreign policy objectives are integration into the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, membership in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, to which it was admitted on 28 June 2006 and in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

(which it joined as of 2017). Russia gave official recognition on 11 June 2006, and was the first permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to do so. The

European Council of Ministers The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and less formally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven institutions of the European Union (EU) a ...

recognized Montenegrin independence on 12 June, as did the United States. The United Kingdom extended recognition on 13 June. The last two permanent members of the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

, France and the People's Republic of China recognised the government of Montenegro on 14 June.

Membership in international organizations

* On June 28, 2006, Montenegro was added to the

American Radio Relay League The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the United States. ARRL is a non-profit organization and was co-founded on April 6, 1914, by Hiram Percy Maxim and Clarence D. Tuska of ...

DXCC An amateur radio operating award is earned by an amateur radio operator for establishing two-way communication (or "working") with other amateur radio stations. Awards are sponsored by national amateur radio societies, radio enthusiast magazine ...

List as the 336th entry based on membership in the UN.
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Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Montenegro maintains diplomatic relations with:

Canada relations

Canadian Foreign Minister

Peter MacKay Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965), a Canadian lawyer and politician, served as Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and as Minister of Justice (Canada), Minister of Justice and Attorney General (20 ...

wrote to Foreign Minister

Miodrag Vlahović Miodrag Mišo Vlahović ( cyrl, Миодраг Мишо Влаховић) (1924 – 2006) was a politician from Montenegro who served as President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Montenegro (within the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

extending diplomatic recognition and agreeing to hold discussions on the establishment of diplomatic relations, which occurred later in 2007.Canada Europe relations
The Canadian Embassy in Belgrade is accredited to Montenegro.

China relations

The establishment of

diplomatic relations Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern Diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...

between the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and the

Republic of Montenegro A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a state in which political power rests with the public (people), typically through their representatives—in contrast to a monarchy. Although a ...

was confirmed on 14 June 2006. China transformed its consulate into an embassy in

Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

on July 7, 2006. The Montenegrin embassy in China opened in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

on November 13, 2007. In 2015, total trade between the two countries amounted to 160,385,964 euros.

Russia relations

Initially strong from 2006, relations slipped from 2010 as Montenegro has looked westward, with Montenegro joining

international sanctions International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect i ...

in 2014 following the

Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation In February and March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, part of Ukraine, and then annexed it. This took place in the relative power vacuum immediately following the Revolution of Dignity. It marked the beginning of the Russ ...

. The failed Russian military coup in October 2016 aiming to stop Montenegro seeking

membership was a turning point. Despite Russian investment into Montenegro, joining the EU became a key goal of Montenegro. Russia continues to spy on Montenegro,

GRU Gru is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Despicable Me'' film series. Gru or GRU may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Gru (rapper), Serbian rapper * Gru, an antagonist in '' The Kine Saga'' Organizations Georgia (c ...

officer Igor Zaytsev is known to have travelled to Montenegro on numerous occasions up to 2018, bring in encryption equipment to give to existing or potential agents, including allegedly former Foreign Ministry spokesperson Radomir Sekulović. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 drove relationships down further, with five diplomats expelled in March/April 2022 then six more Russian diplomats being expelled from Montenegro for alleged spying, in September, with Russia then closing its consulate in Podgorica. In August 2023 Montenegro refused to extradite Dmitry Senin, a former Russian FSB Colonel who had fled Russia in 2017 and had been granted asylum.

Turkey relations

Montenegro established diplomatic relations with Turkey on 3 July 2006. * Montenegro maintains an embassy in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

and an consulate-general in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. * Turkey maintains an embassy in Podgorica. Both nations are members of the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

and

. Both countries are candidates for the

United Kingdom relations

Montenegro established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 13 June 2006. * Montenegro maintains an embassy in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. * The United Kingdom is accredited to Montenegro through its embassy in

. Both countries share common membership of the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

, the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

, the

, and the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

. Bilaterally the two countries have a Double Taxation Convention, and a Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement.

United States relations

The United States recognized the Republic of Montenegro on June 12, 2006, being among the first states to do so. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on August 15, and have since rapidly developed. On August 28, six U.S. Senators,

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

(R-AZ),

Saxby Chambliss Clarence Saxby Chambliss (; born November 10, 1943) is an American lawyer and retired politician who was a United States Senate, United States Senator from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party (Unite ...

(R-GA),

Mel Martinez Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

(R-FL),

Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A membe ...

(R-SC),

Richard Burr Richard Mauze Burr (born November 30, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from North Carolina from 2005 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United Stat ...

(R-NC) and John E. Sununu (R-NH), made an official visit to Montenegro. Their activities included a meeting with President Vujanović and with the speaker of the Montenegrin parliament. Soon after the congressional visit, Defense Secretary

Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, businessman, and naval officer who served as United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and again ...

paid an official visit to Montenegro, seeking support for the War on Terror and overall American geopolitical goals in Europe. Following the Secretary's meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister

Milo Đukanović Milo Đukanović (, ; born 15 February 1962) is a Montenegrin politician who served as the President of Montenegro from 2018 to 2023, previously serving in the role from 1998 to 2002. He also served as the Prime Minister of Montenegro (1991–19 ...

, it was announced that Montenegro had agreed in principle to aid the US efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, although no specific pledges of aid were made.

References

External links

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro

Embassies and consulates in and of Montenegro

Embassy of the United States of America in Podgorica

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080410012708/http://www.njegoskij.org/rubrique17.html The Njegoskij Fund Network: Montenegrin Representations Abroad
The Njegoskij Fund Network: Today's Montenegro: Diplomacy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foreign Relations Of Montenegro Politics of Montenegro Government of Montenegro