Talha Öztürk
03 January 2019•Update: 04 January 2019
By Adel Omeragic
BELGRADE, Serbia
Montenegro is not a Serbian country or a satellite of its larger neighbor, according to the foreign minister of the Western Balkans nation.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview, Srdjan Darmanovic commented on opposition to Montenegro's support for Kosovo on international platforms, saying they are following their own policy.
"These responses come from those who see Montenegro as a Serbian country or Serbia's satellite. We are neither a Serbian country, nor Serbia's satellite. We are friends of Serbia and other countries in the region. We follow our own policy and our own path," he said.
"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.
Montenegro supports Macedonia and Bosnia
Darmanovic said that Montenegro will continue to invest in regional peace and stability.
"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.
Montenegro's regional peace and stability will promote good neighborly relations, said Darmanovic.
Darmanovic said he regretted Serbia's problems with many other regional countries.
"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.
