(PODGORICA) - Serbia's former ally Montenegro Thursday became the latest country to recognise Kosovo, as the European Union urged Pristina to deepen reforms while it awaited an international court's ruling on its secession from Belgrade.

Montenegro's announcement sparked outrage in Serbia and Belgrade in a knee-jerk reaction said it was expelling the Montenegrin envoy.

Majority ethnic-Albanian Kosovo -- a UN-run province since 1999 when it was wrested from Serbian control in a NATO air war -- has been recognised by almost 50 states so far, including the United States and most European Union members.

"The government unanimously decided to recognise the republic of Kosovo," Montenegrin Foreign Minister Milan Rocen said in Podgorica, adding that his country would establish full diplomatic relations with neighbouring Kosovo.

And the parliament in Macedonia -- also another former Yugoslav republic -- Thursday debated a resolution on Kosovo's independence despite stiff opposition from Serbia.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said Belgrade had "decided to inform Podgorica that the presence of its official representative in Belgrade is not welcome any more."

Jeremic had earlier warned such decision by Montenegro would be a "stab in the back" for Serbia, as the two were tied up in a loose federation until a 2006 referendum that gave Podgorica independence.

However Montenegro's foreign minister Rocen said the move was not aimed "against Serbia," which considers Kosovo as an integral part of its territory.

"Montenegro has never and will never do anything against Serbia," Rocen said, adding that the independence of Kosovo was a "political reality" in the Balkans.

The two former republics had centuries-long historic ties, share the same language and Orthodox religion, with large communities of their respective nations living in the two states.

Serbia and its powerful ally Russia reject Kosovo's unilateral February 17 independence as a violation of its territorial integrity.

Kosovo, a tiny southern territory whose two million population is 90-percent ethnic Albanian, is seen by most Serbs as the cradle of their history, culture and Orthodox Christian religion.

Montenegro's decision came a day after the UN General Assembly approved a Serbian resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to rule on whether Kosovo's claim of independence is in sync with international law.

Seeing the vote as its diplomatic "victory," the government in Belgrade decided on Thursday to reinstate all its ambassadors who were withdrawn from countries which recognised Kosovo.

The European Union meanwhile urged Kosovo for patience and called on its leaders to pursue reforms while awaiting the ICJ ruling.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said Pristina had to show its "determination" for implementing reforms and foster economic and social development in order to improve living standards of the population.

"In the meantime, the best medicine for Kosovo to move forward is indeed to go forward with patience," he said.

If Macedonia, where one quarter of 2.2 million population is ethnic Albanian, follows Monenegro's steps, all former communist Yugoslav republics apart from Bosnia-Herzegovina will have recognized Kosovo as a separate state.

The Macedonian parliament was expected later Thursday to pass a draft resolution calling for the recognition of Kosovo's independence. The dominant party in the government has an absolute majority in parliament.

Once the resolution is passed, the government is expected to formally recognise Kosovo on Friday, a source from Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's cabinet told AFP.

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