Conference Venue
Conference Hotel
MONTENEGRO
Montenegro (Montenegrin: Crna Gora), is located in South-eastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo under UNSCR 1244 to the east and Albania to the southeast. Its capital and largest city is Podgorica, while Cetinje is designated as the Prijestonica, meaning the former Royal Capital City..
History
The use of the name Montenegro began in the 15th century when the Crnojevic dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of Zeta, which gained autonomy in 1356. During the late 15th century, Zeta became better known as Montenegro. It was succeeded by theocratic Montenegro and Ottoman-Ruled Montenegro. Still, over subsequent centuries Montenegro was able to maintain its independence from the Ottoman Empire.
From 16th to 19th century, Montenegro became a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it was transformed into a secular principality. In the wake of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 the Congress of Berlin was held. The congress formally recognized the independence of the de facto sovereign states of Montenegro, Serbia and Romania, as the 27th - 29th free states of the world.
After World War I, Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929; at the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro federated with Serbia, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser union of Serbia and Montenegro.
In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from the state union. The vote for severing ties with Serbia exceeded 55% - the threshold set by the EU - allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June 2006.