Serbian-Montenegro president arrives in Romania

Serbian-Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic met his Romanian counterpart Tuesday at the start of a two-day visit to boost economic ties and discuss regional issues. Marovic reviewed a Romanian Army honor guard at the Cotroceni presidential palace where he was welcomed by President Traian Basescu.

During their talks, Basescu planned to tell Marovic that he supports democratic and economic reforms taken by Serbia and Montenegro, the state news agency Rompres reported.

During his visit, Marovic will also meet Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, and the head of Senate Nicolae Vacaroiu, the head of the Chamber of Deputies Adrian Nastase, as well as Bucharest mayor Adriean Videanu.

There are hundreds of thousands of ethnic Romanians living in northeastern Serbia-Montenegro. Serbia-Montenegro is Romania's southwestern neighbor. Last year there was about US$285 million (Ђ244 million) worth of trade between the neighbors.

Relations between the two countries have traditionally have been good, although there were tensions during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, reports the AP. I.L.