The President of Montenegro, Filip Vujanović, reiterated that it is inappropriate for Montenegro to make a rush decision on the question of whether or not it should recognize Kosovo as a sovereign nation. He explained that making a hasty decision would be detrimental to the preservation of harmonious ethnic relations that the interior stability of the state is based on. He stressed that Montenegro would not present its stance on Kosovo until it has as assessed all considerations.

The President stated that relations be­t­ween Podgorica and Belgrade, which opp­o­ses an independent Ko­s­ovo, are better now than when the Se­r­bia and Monte­n­e­g­ro were one country.
 Vujanović said, “We want to keep cl­ose relations with Se­rbia… but we want to ha­­ve good communication with Pristina as well, so that our citizens can have op­en borders and full freedom of travel to help them meet their needs.”

“As soon as Montenegro assesses the conditions, it shall present its stance on this delicate issue. I am convinced that the international community understands such a stance and I see no reason for Belgrade and Prisitina not to understand it as well,” Vujanović said.
The Montenegrin President said he did not fear that his country’s Albanian minority would attempt to use Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence to assert territorial demands that would partition Montenegro. Vujanovic emphasized that his government is committed to protecting the rights of Montenegro’s ethnic Albanians, as well as all other minorities.

Asked if it was realistic for Montenegro to apply for European Union (EU) membership in the near future, Vujanović stated that it is more important to achieve EU standards than it is to rush to meet accession deadlines.
Regarding Montenegro’s negotiations with NATO, the President said that a thorough public information and communication campaign - taking into account the pros and cons of all security, economic and political implications - must first be planned and executed before making a decision as to whether or not the country should attempt to join the alliance.

Commenting on the ongoing property dispute between the Montenegrin Orthodox Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church, Vujanovic said, “As far as the property issues are concerned, they should be resolved in the institutions of the system in compliance with the law, as in all other cases”, adding that he is committed to the separation of church and state.