The coat of arms was designed after the breakup of the former
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to symbolise the new union consisting only of Serbia and Montenegro. Its design thus features the traditional heraldical elements connected historically with both countries. Throughout history, the arms of both Montenegro and Serbia have featured a double-headed eagle, usually silver, on a shield, usually red, bearing on their chests usually a red shield, which in Montenegro's case contained a golden lion while in Serbia's a cross with four
firesteels, usually silver. Thus the arms of FR Yugoslavia were designed by combining these elements: the eagle is the symbol common to both countries, symbolizing their unity, the lions represent Montenegro and crosses with firesteels, Serbia. The red shield in the middle was divided into 4 parts, although the federation consisted of 2 federal units. This was done with the intention to accommodate any possible further expansion of the federation. The coat of arms was initially proposed by Aleksandar Palavestra of the
Serbian Heraldry Society in 1992. The final, adopted version (designed by Bogdan Kršić) followed the same blason as the original proposal but differed in graphical style. ==Emblems of the Yugoslav Republics/Serbian-Montenegrin Union==