Serbian President Boris Tadic Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic agreed Thursday in Cetinje that bilateral relations are moving forward, and discussed nearly all open issues between the two countries.

They particularly pointed to the importance of cooperation between Serbia and Montenegro in the process of integration in the European Union, emphasizing that the future of both countries is in the EU.

As regards Kosovo, whose unilateral declaration of independence Montenegro recognized in October 2008, Tadic reiterated that Serbia will never accept independence of its province.

Serbia is ready for a compromise solution and believes that, following the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), such a solution can be negotiated, he said.

Referring to Kosovo, whose recognition by Montenegro weighed heavily on the latter's relations with Serbia, Vujanovic said that Podgorica would be glad if Belgrade and Pristina were to reach a negotiated agreement without intransigence.

This would be important for the region, he said.

Montenegro and Serbia should also pursue their negotiations on dual citizenship, he said.

As regards the Montenegrin community in Serbia, Vujanovic expressed his conviction that its status will be regulated as soon as possible.

As regards the position of the Serb community in Montenegro, Vujanovic said that all persons are free to express their national identity in Montenegro.

Tadic said that the Serb people in Montenegro are a native people.

He therefore expects Montenegro to respect the rights of the Serb people in a future census and that it will secure protection of Serb language and cultural heritage.

The two presidents pointed to the importance of joint endeavors in fighting organized crime.

They also emphasized the readiness of the two countries to sign an agreement on mutual extradition of persons involved in organized crime and terrorism.

Serbia sincerely supports Montenegro's intention to join NATO, but remains neutral itself towards that organization, Tadic said.

Referring to economic cooperation, Tadic said that great potentials exist in this regard, but that they are not being fully exploited at present.

Tadic commended Montenegro for its economic development, and noted that Serbia advocates regional economic cooperation, but without ambitions of beaing a leader in this regard.