A European Troika comprising British Ambassador to SCG David Gowan, the chief of the European Commission Mission to SCG, Joseph Lloveras, and the charge d'affaires at the Austrian Embassy in SCG, Ulrike Hartmann, met top Montenegro officials and opposition leaders for talks on the referendum on Montenegro's independence.
The EU strongly urges the Montenegrin authorities to respect the future recommendations of relevant international institutions regarding standards for a possible referendum and therefore to refrain from taking steps in connection with the referendum, including setting a date, before this issue has been fully settled, the European Troika said in a statement about today's talks.
Only a wide consensus on the rules of the process will ensure that the outcome of the referendum be accepted as legitimate, the statement read, adding that the EU would not accept the results of a unilateral process.
The EU maintains the referendum law must be in accordance with internationally recognised democratic standards and has requested the Venice Commission to assess Montenegrin legislation referring to the organisation of the referendum, the statement read.
The EU representatives also said the way in which Montenegro would hold the referendum and its outcome would determine its relations with the EU.
The EU expects the Montenegrin government to fully cooperate with the international community and pay due attention to dialogue with Belgrade and all opposition parties, the statement read, adding that disregard for those criteria would undermine Montenegro's aspirations for European integration.
The statement underlined that the issue of SCG's future should be settled in a way which would preserve internal and regional stability.
The EU called on Montenegrin authorities to acknowledge the SCG's progress in EU integration and the positive effect which the recently opened negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement would have on all sides.