The Montenegrin National Foundation announced today that May 13th should be celebrated as a national holiday - Montenegrin Victory Day.
"The decisive Montenegrin military victory against the Ottoman army in the Battle of Grahovac took place on this day - May 13, 1858. The victory at Grahovac had a decisive impact on the future political situation in Montenegro by gaining significant territorial expansions, and the major European powers began to treat Montenegro as a sovereign state. It is necessary to emphasize the mature and correct decision of Prince Danilo to realize his diplomatic efforts on the battlefield. In this way, Prince Danilo Petrović Njegoš secured independence and official international recognition for Montenegro, as well as a definitive demarcation between the Montenegrin and Turkish-Ottoman states - supported and confirmed by international factors. It is a historical fact that international recognition and determination of the territorial borders of Montenegro were the key political basis for the internationally legitimized independence of the Montenegrin state at the Berlin Peace Conference in 1878, de iure," the statement of the Montenegrin National Foundation, signed by President Ivan Jovović, states.
The statement added that the victory over Turkey attracted a lot of attention, and was written about with sympathy in the European press.
"At the same time, the Montenegrin military victory became a serious political reason to launch an international initiative for territorial demarcation between the Principality of Montenegro and Turkey, which resulted in the Ambassadorial Conference in Constantinople, at which final decisions on demarcation were made. The Protocol from the International Ambassadorial Conference also de facto resulted in international recognition of Montenegrin state independence. The Battle of Grahovac thus embodied the greatest historical monument of glory to Montenegrin heroism in modern history, which is why the Battle of Grahovac on May 13, 1858, should be celebrated as a national holiday - the Day of Montenegrin Victory," said Matica Crnogorska.
They state that the victory at Grahovac will be "the sublimation of the numerous victories of the Montenegrin army over invaders throughout history and the crowning glory of Montenegrin weapons and courage."
"With this victory, Montenegro marked a period of peace and development of a state that will not be just a military camp, but a country of prosperity and the rule of law. After the Battle of Grahovac, a new era of political, cultural and national emancipation began for Montenegro, when it won the opportunity to join the community of European states on an equal footing with its forces. The gains for Montenegro and for Montenegrins during the reign of Prince Danilo Petrović Njegoš also became a modern state-building foundation, on which the country's international sovereignty continued to be built upon and affirmed," reads a statement from Matica Crnogorska.
They say that the goal of establishing this holiday is "to strengthen the cult of statehood and national unity of Montenegro, which should serve to strengthen the historical awareness of Montenegrin citizens."
"There is a need for Montenegrin society to collectively remind itself of the efforts of our ancestors and, through this celebration, symbolically build national unity on the foundations that testify to our glorious history and tradition. The Montenegrin Victory Day will further affirm the historical right of the Montenegrin people to their own state, acquired in centuries-old struggles for freedom," said Matica Crnogorska.
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