BELGRADE, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Montenegro and Kosovo have established diplomatic relations by the exchange of letters between the foreign ministers, Milan Rocen and Skender Hiseni, the Montenegrin government said Friday.

    Rocen underscored in the letter to his Kosovo counterpart that he completely shares his opinion that the relations between Montenegro and Kosovo have good perspective.

    On the other hand, the representatives of political parties in Serbia assessed on Friday that the Montenegrin government's decision does not contribute to good neighborly relations between Serbia and Montenegro, but that it is not a surprise.

    Serbian Radical Party Vice President Dragan Todorovic said that the Montenegrin government's decision to recognize the independence of the southern Serbian province is "their most shameful move."

    "Recognizing Kosovo as an independent state is one of the most shameful decisions made in Montenegro and it will remain Milo Djukanovic's most shameful move for centuries to come," Todorovic was quoted as saying by Serbian state news agency Tanjug.

    New Serbia whip in the Serbian parliament Velimir Ilic said that the establishment of diplomatic relations between Podgorica and Pristina did not come as a surprise and that it was planned for a long time.

    Liberal Democratic Party leader Cedomir Jovanovic said that the establishment of diplomatic relations with Pristina was "the logical consequence" of the decision to recognize Kosovo's independence.

    Montenegro gained independence in June 2006 after a historic referendum to break up a union with Serbia, while ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in February 2008. However, Serbia has vowed it would never recognize Kosovo's independence, regarding the move illegal and in contrary with international law.