BELGRADE, Serbia-Serbia's foreign minister on Monday warned its traditional ally Montenegro against recognizing Kosovo's independence, saying it would represent "a stab in the back."

Montenegrin officials indicated last week that the independence of Kosovo, the predominantly ethnic-Albanian province which split from Serbia in February, was a reality. They suggested Montenegro will recognize the new state.

The Montenegrin recognition of Kosovo would be a major blow to Serbia, because the two Balkan states have close historical and cultural ties. Montenegro was the only former Yugoslav republic that stayed in the union with Serbia after the federation broke up in 1991. Montenegro split from Serbia in 2006.

Serbia's Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said that Montenegro's recognition of Kosovo would lead to unspecified retaliatory measures.

"Serbia does not want to threaten anyone," Jeremic said.

However, he added: "Serbia will not sit with its hands crossed" if Montenegro follows 47 countries, including the United States and most European Union states, in recognizing Kosovo.

The U.S. and some EU countries have been urging Serbia's neighbors Montenegro and Macedonia to recognize Kosovo.

"We hope that Montenegro will not make a step that would jeopardize the peaceful and diplomatic process that is going through a delicate phase," Jeremic said, referring to Serbia's bid to question the legality of Kosovo's independence at the International Court of Justice.

Jeremic traveled Monday to New York for a U.N. General Assembly meeting which is expected to vote later this week on Serbia's request to seek the opinion of the court based in The Hague, Netherlands.