"Concrete issues" to be discussed with Putin - PM

"Concrete issues" to be discussed with Putin - PM

Serbian products exported to Russia must be of top quality, Vučić said, while the situation when this was not true "must under no circumstances happen again."

"Our spiritual ties are one thing, fulfilling what we must on the highest level is another. With that, we could consider many issues in Serbia. We are open to cooperation in all areas of public life," he said, according to a Beta news agency report, and added that Putin's visit should benefit both countries.

Speaking about the South Stream gas pipeline, Vučić said that Serbia had found itself "in a complicated situation but thanks to the willingness of the president of Russia to meet us halfway we came to terms quickly and easily with Russia."

“We should discuss how and where we proceed in the South Stream issue," he was quoted as saying on the TASS website, and adding:

“But not everything depends on Serbia.“South Stream cannot begin on the border between Serbia and Bulgaria and end on the border between Serbia and Hungary. This should pass through Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria and all other countries. As for Serbia, we have done our part, all the rest depends from others."

Vučić spoke positively about the work of the Russian-Serbian Emergency Situations Center in Niš, especially its activities during the May floods in Serbia, and said he hoped it would be even better prepared in the future so it can serve not only Serbia but also other regional countries.

"It goes without saying it is not aimed against anyone," he remarked.

Asked about the timeframe of Serbia's bid to join the EU, he said the goal was "not to join the EU in four of five years time," but that it was important to carry out reforms and organize the state well, "form theoretically and practically a more democratic, richer country, that is healthy and stable economically."

Asked whether "the Serbian government could move to a compromise in order to solve the problem of Kosovo," he, according to Beta, said that "Belgrade is already going for compromises to support the stability in the region, although those compromises are not exactly making a majority of Serbian population happy."

"Of course, we did not recognize and do not recognize independence of Kosovo. Honestly, nobody's pressing us to," said the Serbian prime minister.

He then said he was proud of his work ethics, that for this reason his "subordinates do not find it easy to bear with him," and that he "made mistakes and does not rule out he'll make them in the future" - but that he was "proud of his work and the fact nobody can accuse him of fraud."

Asked "what being in power means to him," Vučić said it was "a support, since you are guilty of everything and for everyone."