Serbia-Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic said on Wednesday that it was necessary to find a European solution for the Serbian province of Kosovo as his country is heading toward European integration.

Marovic and visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul agreed that a European solution should be a long-term and democratic one, and would be in the interests of the stability of the entire region, Marovic's office said in a statement.

But the statement didn't elaborate further what kind of a solution would be suitable for Kosovo, which has been run by the United Nations since June 1999.

The statement came after the European Union on Monday officially opened negotiations on a stabilization and association agreement with Serbia-Montenegro on the stability of the region, the first step for the Balkan country toward full EU membership.

Last Friday, UN Secretary General Koffi Annan announced that the UN would soon open the Kosovo final status talks.

At their talks on Wednesday, Marovic and Gul also agreed that the stepped up association of Balkan countries with the EU institutions was a prerequisite for the general stability and economic progress of the Balkan region.

Source: Xinhua