Citizens on their feet, preparing petitions: We won't give up Sutorina, return it to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina seem more determined than ever to return Sutorina, the Bosnian access to the open sea that now belongs to Montenegro, to the ownership of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it was until 1947, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP).

The entire project of returning Sutorina to Bosnia and Herzegovina was initiated several weeks ago by Dr. Suad Kurtćehajić, a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo and a legal expert, who received great support from BiH citizens.

Non-governmental organizations and informal groups are now joining forces to support the professor and his team, and these days, points will be set up on the streets across Bosnia and Herzegovina where activists will collect citizens' signatures for the swift return of Sutorina to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the same time, a group was founded on the social network Facebook: „Sutorina is Bosnia and Herzegovina. Give it back to us“, which so far has nearly 14,000 members.

- Only in 1948 did the first maps appear that place Sutorina within Montenegro, after an informal conversation between Đuro Pucar Stari and Montenegrin politician Blažo Jovanović. For centuries, Sutorina was marked on maps as Bosnia's access to the open sea. I see no argument for our politicians to give Montenegro something that even Montenegrins know is not theirs – says Professor Kurtćehajić.

Sutorina is a settlement in the municipality of Herceg Novi in Montenegro. For others, it may not be such an attractive place, but for BiH it is of great importance because it would be the second Bosnian access to the sea. As Bosnian territory, it was annexed to Montenegro along with the villages of Igalo, Sutorina, Sušćepan, Prijevor (Sutorina), Ratiševina and Kruševice, with a total area of 75 km2.

- Any signature of our politicians renouncing Sutorina would be high treason against the people and the state – warns Kurtćehajić.

He says he does not want to quarrel with Montenegro, but only wants an international arbitration commission to review all documentation and see the truth, writes NAP.