Montenegro narrowly voted to sever its
ties with Serbia meeting European
Union (EU) conditions and paving a
smoother path to be absorbed into the
EU.
Montenegro was part of the erstwhile
Yugoslavia after World War I and still
has ethnic ties with Serbian cousins
but analysts say that the 650,000
population in this mountainous country
has a better chance of development not
being part of the 7.5 million
populated Serbia.
Serbia has traditionally close ties
with Russia and this move to sever
Montenegro which has access to the
Adriatic Sea will be viewed with
suspicion by Russia and China. During
the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in
the 1990s, Montenegro was the only
part of the 6 state Republic to
support Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic.
