Sutorina dispute
The Sutorina dispute was a border dispute between Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the sovereignty over the territory of Sutorina. Between the Berlin Congress of 1878 and the aftermath of World War II in 1947, the territory of Sutorina was a part of Bosnia and Herzegovina within Austria-Hungary and the first Yugoslavia, but then became part of the SR Montenegro within second Yugoslavia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the territory was controlled by Montenegro, but some Bosnian officials have claimed that the territory transfer was illegal, disputing Montenegrin sovereignty over the area. In 2015, two countries reached an agreement which gives the sovereignty over the territory to Montenegro.
History
The long coast on the west side of the entrance to the Boka Kotorska, from Cape Kobila to Igalo, known generally as Sutorina, includes the Sutorina valley including 6 villages: Igalo, Sutorina, Sušćepan, Prijevor, Ratiševina and Kruševice, an area of 75 km².Cape Kobila was the boundary between Sutorina and Prevlaka under the control of the Republic of Ragusa since 1699.
This outlet to the sea was the subject of two international treaties: the 1699 Treaty of Carlowitz assigned the region to the Ottoman Empire's Bosnia Eyalet, an arrangement that was subsequently confirmed by the Congress of Berlin in 1878, when it became part of the Austro-Hungarian occupied Bosnia. After World War I, it became part of the Mostar Oblast of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and subsequently the Trebinje district of the Zeta Banovina within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
After World War II, in 1947 when the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia authorities were deciding on the internal borders of the constituent republics, Sutorina became part of the constituent People's Republic of Montenegro. Reportedly, this came about as a land swap deal brokered between local communist politicians — Avdo Humo and Đuro Pucar representing the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on one side and Blažo Jovanović representing PR Montenegro on the other — who made the agreement with the permission of Josip Broz Tito and Vladimir Bakarić. PR Bosnia and Herzegovina ceded the territory near Sutorina, Igalo and Njivice and received territory east of Sutjeska river, including the Maglić mountain villages of Kruševo and Vučevo.
Milovan Đilas as the president of "Commission for borders" advocated that Sutorina should belong to the People's Republic of Montenegro. It is assumed that he had Tito's support. In the borders defined at the 2nd AVNOJ meeting in 1943, Sutorina was included within PR Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Recent events
- Since mid 2000s, several politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina such as Željko Komšić and Haris Silajdžić have sporadically called for the "return of Sutorina within Bosnia-Herzegovina's borders". Bosnia and Herzegovina currently only has access to the international waters from the Neum bay across Croatian internal waters.
- In 2008, Bishop Grigorije of the Eparchy of Zahumlje and Herzegovina formally requested that the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina join the international arbitration regarding the coastline near Igalo.
- In 2008, the Serb People's Party released a statement saying if Montenegro cedes Prevlaka to Croatia, they should also cede Sutorina to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- In 2009, the mayor of Trebinje Božidar Vučurević claimed Sutorina was part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- In 2014 the president of the Non-governmental organization AntiDayton Nihad Aličković has issued several stances on Sutorina dispute and directly claiming it as a part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- In 2014, hundreds of non-governmental organizations raised the question of Sutorina on a national level. The main goal is to get Sutorina back as it was in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina as specified at the Berlin Congress in 1878.
- On 24 December 2014, minister Denis Bećirović in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a proposal for a resolution about Sutorina since the session to be held on 15 January had an act for giving Sutorina to Montenegro. The resolution was intended to stop that process and to turn everything to negotiations or to the court.
- Shortly after, the head of the AntiDayton organization Nihad Aličković started a new organization called the Sutorina initiative whose main goal is to get the territory of Sutorina back. They state that this is that the only way to see an end in the dispute is to bring the case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
- On 23 January 2015, the president of Montenegro Filip Vujanović ordered the Montenegrin ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina to withdraw to Montenegro. The whole cabinet now stays in Podgorica. They cite that it's unacceptable that Bosnia and Herzegovina has such claims. Bosnian officials say that this move is just the confirmation of Montenegrin inability to prove that Montenegro has any rights on that territory.
- On the 24 February 2015 a discussion was held in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina were officials, academics, generals and other high ranked citizens decided that Sutorina needs to be returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina as specified by numerous facts in favor of their demands.
- On the 25 February 2015 member of US Congress Mike Turner sent a letter of warning to Bosniak member of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bakir Izetbegović stating that if Bosnia don't give up Sutorina territorial dispute with Montenegro United States could suspend aid to Bosnia.
- On the 10 March 2015 the Council of Bosniak Intellectuals held a meeting in Sarajevo about the Sutorina question. Former president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Omer Ibrahimagić stated: "This is the first time that Bosnia and Herzegovina is deciding about its borders in the last 552 years. Up until now Bosnias occupiers decided about the borders and I hope that it is not going to turn out that our occupiers cared more about the borders than the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina". Additionally he said that Bosnia and Herzegovina entered Yugoslavia with Sutorina in its borders and she should have left with it. About the possibility of suing Montenegro in front of the International court he said: "Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia are going to appear in front of the International Court of Justice about their border disputes, so why should Bosnia just give up Sutorina? During the Bosnian war Montenegro´s President Momir Bulatović was planning to enlarge Montenegro´s borders by annexing the eastern Herzegovina part. Why should Bosnia play the good neighbor when Montenegro was never a good neighbor to begin with?"
- On 26 August 2015, governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro signed in Vienna a border agreement which gave sovereignty over Sutorina to Montenegro. Parliament of Montenegro ratified the agreement on 28 December 2015, and Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified it on 12 January 2016. The agreement came into effect on 20 April 2016.