Speaking to reporters after meeting his Croatian counterpart Miomir Zuzul in Zagreb on Tuesday, Vlahovic said he wanted to underline the development of neighbourly and friendly relations with Croatia, adding that one of the foundations of this development was "distancing from the practice and the actions which made Montenegro an aggressor against Croatia".
"It's an unfortunate, cumbersome issue which we in Montenegro don't want to hide... which in Montenegro is absolutely clear and unarguable. It's a historic fact that we perceive as something that happened, that we condemn, that we don't approve," said Vlahovic, adding the Montenegrin Government wanted the Croatian public to see that.
He said Montenegro wished to cooperate with Croatia on friendly terms because this friendship was rooted in history, justified, and in the interest of both sides.
"Montenegro looks without any hesitation or complex on the unhappy and tragic pages of our history which saw it involved in events in which it wasn't the generator but was simply in the position of a voluntary hostage to someone else's different policy," Vlahovic said, adding "those times are behind us".
Croatia's Zuzul said relations between the two countries were developing in the best possible way, although they were sometimes burdened by the past.
"We have concluded the time has come for us in this region to live in the present and look to the future, which doesn't mean forgetting or ignoring everything that happened, because if we pretend to have forgotten we risk repeating mistakes," said Zuzul.
He added Croatia understood Montenegro's interests and goals, and that Zagreb supported the entire Southeast Europe in its European Union integration. He said he was pleased Croatia enjoyed the principled support of the entire region, notably Montenegro, for its ambitions.
Zuzul announced more contacts with Montenegro and the opening of a Croatian consulate in Podgorica because the Croatian minority there sometimes encountered problems.
Vlahovic said he was hopeful about the future of Croatia and Montenegro, including in the economy and culture. He added Croatia had a true friend that it could count on.
Asked by Hina how likely Montenegro was to hold a referendum on its independence, Vlahovic said Montenegro was entitled to it under its Constitution and the Belgrade Agreement, but that it first wanted to try with models of gradually acquiring complete independence.
Vlahovic said the state union of Serbia and Montenegro evidently did not work, and that Podgorica advocated some sort of alliance of independent state.
He added a referendum was the last resort although he was certain of its outcome. He said Montenegro wished to join the EU and NATO "but not as some territory, some province or someone's exit to the sea".