Montenegro celebrates Statehood Day today

(Patria) - Montenegro celebrates July 13 - Statehood Day today.

This day is celebrated in memory of July 13, 1878, when Montenegro gained international recognition as an independent state at the Congress of Berlin, and of the July Thirteenth Uprising in 1941, a nationwide revolt against the fascist occupiers.

The Congress of Berlin, held from June 13 to July 13, 1878, in Berlin, was a meeting of representatives of the six great European powers (Great Britain, Russia, France, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Germany), the Ottoman Empire, and four Balkan states (Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, and Greece).

The outcome was the recognition of Montenegro as an independent state.

The July Thirteenth Uprising of the people of Montenegro in 1941 was the largest uprising in occupied Europe up to that point.

The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, stated that July 13 is a symbol of statehood and a message that one should never bow to the force of injustice and dark ideologies.

At a formal reception on the occasion of July 13 - Montenegro's Statehood Day, hosted at his residence in Cetinje, Milatović said that the day marks when, in two different eras, the brightest pages of Montenegrin history were written.

- For Montenegro, this date is not a holiday, but a day when we embedded the most sublime values of freedom, honor, and dignity into the foundations of our society. July Thirteenth is a symbol of statehood and a message that we never bow to the force of injustice and dark ideologies - Milatović emphasizes.

He recalls that on July 13, 1978, at the Congress of Berlin, Montenegro secured international recognition.

- It was a moment when the world recognized what the tough people from the harsh Montenegrin karst had fought for centuries - the right to decide their own destiny and to live freely on the land of their ancestors - Milatović stated.

He emphasizes that on the same day in 1941, Montenegro wrote a new chapter in history, knowing that freedom has no price.

- The July Thirteenth Uprising was an echo of conscience, deeply ingrained in the soul of our people. That historic act of resistance inspired thousands of heroes not to flinch in the years of war from the strength of a much more powerful enemy - said Milatović, adding that their sacrifice was not in vain.

The Montenegrin president also stated that from the flame of July 13, the light of freedom was born, which still illuminates Montenegro's path today.

- Today, we are fighting to live in an organized state with strong institutions and clear rules that apply equally to everyone. We are fighting for work to have value, for knowledge and effort to be appreciated, for no one to be above the law - concluded Milatović.