page_title: Serbia and Montenegro
section_title: Yugoslav Wars
hierarchical_section_title: Serbia and Montenegro / History / Yugoslav Wars
caption_attribution_description: Map of former Yugoslavia during last wars. War political entities in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovia are marked
context_page_description: The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in the Balkans, which came into existence in 1992, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It comprised of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro, the two remaining republics of SFR Yugoslavia. In 2003, FR Yugoslavia was transformed from a federal republic to a political union, and became officially known as the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. In 2006, Montenegro seceded from the union, following an independence referendum which narrowly passed, leading to the full independence of Serbia and Montenegro.
  Its aspirations to be the sole legal successor state to SFR Yugoslavia were not recognised by the United Nations, following the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 777, which affirmed that the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia had ceased to exist, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a new state. All former republics were entitled to state succession while neither of them continued SFR Yugoslavia's international legal personality.
context_section_description: The FRY was suspended from a number of international institutions. This was due to the ongoing Yugoslav wars during the 1990s, which had prevented agreement being reached on the disposition of federal assets and liabilities, particularly the national debt. The Government of Yugoslavia supported Croatian and Bosnian Serbs in the wars from 1992 to 1995. Because of that, the country was under economic and political sanctions, which resulted in economic disaster that forced thousands of its young citizens to emigrate from the country.
  FR Yugoslavia acted to support Serbian separatist movements in breakaway states, including the Republic of Serbian Krajina and the Republika Srpska, and sought to establish them as independent Serbian republics, with potential eventual reintegration with FR Yugoslvia. However, the Government of FR Yugoslavia would treat these republics as separate entities, and gave unofficial, rather than active, aid by transferring control of units from the JNA to the secessionist movements. In this way, FR Yugoslavia avoided potential accusation of committing acts of aggression against the breakaway republics, which has been recogisned by the International Community.
  Following the transfer of Yugoslav Army units, the state of FR Yugoslavia ceased to play an important military role in the Yugoslav Wars, barring conflicts on the border with Croatia, such as the Siege of Dubrovnik. It instead provided economic and political aid, to avoid provoking the International Community further, and to preserve FR Yugoslavia as the republics of Serbia and Montenegro, rather than 'Greater Serbia.'
  In 1995, following Operation Storm, an offensive by the Croatian Army, and NATO involvement in the Bosnian War, President Slobodan Milosevic agreed to negotiate. Under threat of economically crippling the Republika Srpska, he took over negotiating powers for all Serbian secessionist movements, as well as FR Yugoslavia. The ensuing Dayton Agreements, signed between representatives from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, resulted in each state being recognised as sovereign states. It also provided recognition for Serbian institutions and a rotating Presidency, within Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Serbian populated areas of the former Socialist Republic of Bosnia were absorbed into Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thus the Yugoslav Wars ended, and Western Sanctions on FR Yugoslavia were lifted. However, Slobodan Milosevic would not achieve his dreams of admitting FR Yugoslavia to the United Nations as the successor state of SFR Yugoslavia, as an 'outer wall' of Western sanctions prohibited this.
caption: Map of the Yugoslav Wars in 1993
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