The referendum was held fully in keeping with Council of Europe and OSCE obligations and other international norms in democratic elections, and it offered voters genuine prospects to decide about their own future, said the OSCE Mission in Podgorica.
Mission chief Nevzat Yalcintas said the Montenegrin people should be congratulated for holding a true and transparent referendum.
The chief of the long-standing monitoring mission, Jorgen Grunnett, commended the high turnout and the political will of both sides, which he said anticipated a good political future for the country.
Despite minor, normal incidents, this was a fair referendum, he said.
Jean-Charles Gardetto from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, called on Montenegrins to overcome the differences expressed in the vote and build a better society on the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The referendum was monitored by 615 foreign observes from the OSCE, the CoE Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament.
CoE representative Jelko Kacin called on Serbia to recognise the results of the referendum.
International observers who monitored the preparations for and the holding of the referendum told the press in Podgorica there had been no major irregularities and that the referendum was held in keeping with international democratic standards and domestic laws.
The international observer mission will issue the final report on the referendum in about two months.
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in Brussels too commended the successful holding of the Montenegro referendum.