Anka Vojvodić served as the Montenegrin ambassador to

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

until October 2008. Her expulsion from Serbia was a direct result of Montenegro's recognition of Kosovo's independence. On October 9, 2008, the

Serbian government The government of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Governme ...

declared Vojvodić

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...

, giving her 48 hours to leave the country. The expulsion came shortly after

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 ...

, along with

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, officially recognized Kosovo as an independent state on October 9, 2008. This decision strained relations between

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and

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 ...

’s, as

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

still considered

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

to be its province.

Diplomatic fallout

Serbian response

Serbian President The president of Serbia (), officially styled as President of the Republic (), is the head of state of Serbia. The current officeholder is Aleksandar Vučić, who was elected in 2017 and has held the role since 31 May 2017. According to the C ...

Boris Tadic Boris may refer to: People * Boris (given name), a male given name * *List of people with given name Boris * Boris (surname) Arts and media * Boris (band), a Japanese experimental rock trio * ''Boris'' (EP), by Yezda Urfa, 1975 * "Boris" (son ...

labeled Montenegro's decision to recognize Kosovo as "irrational and counterproductive". The

viewed this move as a threat to Serbia's

sovereignty Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...

and

territorial integrity Territorial integrity is the principle under international law where sovereign states have a right to defend their borders and all territory in them from another state. It is enshrined in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and has been recognized as c ...

Montenegrin reaction

Vojvodić herself commented on her expulsion, stating, "It is not a clever and political move". Despite the diplomatic tension, Montenegro expressed its commitment to maintaining positive relations with Serbia.

Aftermath

The expulsion of Vojvodić left the position of Montenegrin ambassador to Serbia vacant for nearly a year. In June 2009, Montenegro announced that a new ambassador would be appointed soon. It wasn't until later that Serbia accepted Igor Jovović as the new Montenegrin ambassador. After her expulsion, Vojvodić returned to Belgrade in a different capacity. In October 2009, it was reported that she would take on a new role in the city. She later became one of the six founders of the Institute for Public Policy.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Ambassadors of Montenegro to Serbia Montenegrin women ambassadors Serbian diplomats {{Montenegro-bio-stub