Eurasia Press & News
Serbia is ready to turn a new page in its relations with Montenegro, after relations between the two countries worsened following Podgorica’s decision to establish diplomatic links with Kosovo.
In an interview with Podgorica daily Dan on Tuesday, Serbian President Boris Tadic said that relations between Serbia and Montenegro are worse than before and that both countries should work on their improvement.
“Serbia is ready to turn a new page in relations with Montenegro, which means respecting the legitimate state interests of both countries,” the daily quoted him as saying.
Relations between the two countries have been rocky every since Montenegro recognised Kosovo’s independence on 9 October, 2008, prompting Belgrade to throw out Montenegro’s ambassador to Serbia.
Podgorica’s ambassador has since returned to Belgrade, but fresh tensions began after Montenegro established diplomatic relations with Kosovo on 15 January this year, prompting Serbia’s foreign minister Vuk Jeremic to order the immediate withdrawal of Serbia’s ambassador in Podgorica.
Serbia then sent a 1.5 million euro bill to Montenegro’s government for three years worth of rent for the luxury villa used as the country’s embassy in Belgrade, which it claims should be paid.
In his interview, Tadic sought to dispel any rumours of further ambassadorial disruption and said Montenegro’s ambassador to Belgrade may stay in Serbia.
But Tadic underlined the close proximity Serbs feel for Montenegro by noting that it is unacceptable that Serbs in Montenegro obtain the status of national minorities.
“Serbia does not want to interfere in the internal affairs of each country, but my duty is to say that it is unnatural and historically completely groundless for Serbian people to gain the status of national minorities,” Tadic said.
However, in an interview for the Belgrade daily Danas, Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said he felt that part of the public in Serbia is still not ready to accept Montenegro as an independent country. He said, recognising Kosovo’s independence was a tough decision for the Montenegrin government but they had to do so “in order to remain a fair and honest friend of Serbia, as a true friend should be able to talk about unpleasant truths” that Serbia should deal with.
When asked when Podgorica will pay the outstanding rent for the embassy, Djukanovic said that this case represents a confirmation of Serbia’s lack of sensitivity when it comes to the need of close partnerships with its neighbouring countries. He noted that his country has not yet sorted out its property rights arising as a result of it seceding from what is now Serbia.
“As a proponent of clean solutions when it comes to property, I am absolutely ready to accelerate all procedures in the villa Crnogorka case that will contribute to a solution to establish what belongs to Montenegro from the SRJ [Federal Republic of Yugoslavia] property,” daily Danas quoted the prime minister as saying.
