Montenegro’s President Jakov Milatović expressed support for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and highlighted the differences in positions between the two countries regarding the Kosovo issue, during an official visit to Serbia on Monday.
“We support the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and want this dialogue to benefit both parties. I am not happy regarding tensions in the north, and I once again appeal for the reduction of tensions and support efforts in this direction,” said President Milatović at a press conference with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić.
“There are topics where we do not have the same viewpoints, of course, Kosovo being one of them. I believe that in the future, Montenegro and Serbia should approach the topics that divide us with a more comprehensive stance, placing ourselves in each other’s positions and speaking openly. You know that Montenegro recognized the independence of Kosovo in 2008,” he added.
Other open issues between the two countries, such as the appointment of ambassadors in Podgorica and Belgrade, were also in focus during the bilateral meetings with Serbian officials.
President Milatović emphasized that it is “paradoxical” that Serbia and Montenegro, as important economic partners with “shared history and traditional closeness”, do not have their diplomatic representatives in Belgrade and Podgorica.
This is Milatović’s first visit to the region since winning the presidential election on 19 May against former President Milo Đukanović.
Official Podgorica attributed the responsibility for the coup attempt, which was planned to occur on the day of the parliamentary elections on October 16, 2016, to Moscow and Belgrade.
This incident was the main cause of the diplomatic tensions between Belgrade and Podgorica.
Meanwhile, the treatment of some Montenegrin MPs at the border points in Serbia further worsened the relations between the two countries.
Serbian border police detained six Montenegrin MPs for several hours during a control, despite their diplomatic passports, as they voted in 2021 to adopt a resolution in parliament on the Srebrenica genocide.
