Montenegro is not a Serbian country or a satellite of its larger neighbor, according to the foreign minister of the Western Balkans nation.
"We support the participation of Kosovo in international institutions," he added, citing Montenegro as one of the countries recognizing Kosovo's independence.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade insists the country remains part of Serbia. Since then, tensions have persisted between Kosovo’s ethnic-Albanian majority and a small Serb minority in the north.
Kosovo’s independence is recognized by over 100 countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, Germany and Turkey.
"If our neighbors aren’t doing well, I don't believe our situation will be good, so we need to do our best to help our neighbors.
“We made a great effort for Macedonia's invitation to join NATO and Bosnia and Herzegovina's NATO annual national plan,” he said.
"Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the current government have worked hard to improve regional relations. But now there’s a different tendency. This isn’t good. Serbia is one of our important trade partners," said Darmanovic.
Montenegro is one of the smallest countries in Europe, with a population a little over 600,000.
