Montenegrin president in Serbia

Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic is in Serbia today for the first time since Montenegro recognized Kosovo in October of last year. After a ceremonial reception in front of the Palace of Serbia, he met with President Boris Tadic. Montenegrin president in Serbia Seven months ago, Belgrade declared Montenegro’s ambassador a persona non grata after Podgorica recognized Kosovo’s unilateral independence proclamation. President of the Serbian MFA Foreign-Policy Council Zivorad Kovacevic said ahead of the visit that the “warming” of relations between Serbia and Montenegro and the meeting of its presidents should have happened earlier, but added that "it is never too late". “I think there is a chance that we can learn to live with new realities, that Serbia, on one side, accepts that Kosovo cannot be the basic criteria for its relations with its neighbors—or others in the world, but especially with its neighbors—and on the other side, our neighbors must understand the delicate nature of the situation in Serbia and to not do anything to disturb it,” Kovacevic said. Miodrag Vukovic, of the Montenegrin ruling DPS, believes that it was Belgrade that caused the crisis in relations between the two countries, because only the Montenegrin and Macedonian ambassadors were expelled from the country over the recognition of Kosovo. He told B92 that the presidents of the two countries must discuss all problems between the two states. “It is important for things to be put into motion and determine the real quality of relations in the interest of both sides, and then there is an entire army of those that carry a direct responsibility for individual questions to work according to orders given by the president, based on conclusions which will be made after talks between the two state leaders,” Vukovic said. He added that one of the biggest issues between the countries is the problem of dual citizenship, and said that in four meetings thus far on this issue, there had been no progress. "This thing has to be finished because the citizens expect that the issue to be made clear. It is better to have a difficult or bad certainty than supposedly promising uncertainty,” he said. Vujanovic will be in Belgrade for three days and is expected to meet with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, Parliamentary Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic and representatives of the Montenegrin community in Lovcenac on Wednesday.

Montenegrin president in Serbia

Seven months ago, Belgrade declared Montenegro’s ambassador a persona non grata after Podgorica recognized Kosovo’s unilateral independence proclamation.

President of the Serbian MFA Foreign-Policy Council Živorad Kovačević said ahead of the visit that the “warming” of relations between Serbia and Montenegro and the meeting of its presidents should have happened earlier, but added that "it is never too late".

“I think there is a chance that we can learn to live with new realities, that Serbia, on one side, accepts that Kosovo cannot be the basic criteria for its relations with its neighbors—or others in the world, but especially with its neighbors—and on the other side, our neighbors must understand the delicate nature of the situation in Serbia and to not do anything to disturb it,” Kovačević said.

Miodrag Vuković, of the Montenegrin ruling DPS, believes that it was Belgrade that caused the crisis in relations between the two countries, because only the Montenegrin and Macedonian ambassadors were expelled from the country over the recognition of Kosovo.

He told B92 that the presidents of the two countries must discuss all problems between the two states.

“It is important for things to be put into motion and determine the real quality of relations in the interest of both sides, and then there is an entire army of those that carry a direct responsibility for individual questions to work according to orders given by the president, based on conclusions which will be made after talks between the two state leaders,” Vuković said.

He added that one of the biggest issues between the countries is the problem of dual citizenship, and said that in four meetings thus far on this issue, there had been no progress.

"This thing has to be finished because the citizens expect that the issue to be made clear. It is better to have a difficult or bad certainty than supposedly promising uncertainty,” he said.

Vujanović will be in Belgrade for three days and is expected to meet with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, Parliamentary Speaker Slavica Đukic-Dejanović and representatives of the Montenegrin community in Lovćenac on Wednesday.