"Kosovo is open issue for Serbia - but not only one"

"Kosovo is open issue for Serbia - but not only one"

Vucic stressed at a joint press conference with EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn that, despite all this, "we will do everything to reach a compromise."

"But we will not allow anyone to humiliate or undermine Serbia, no matter how possible it might seem to somebody," Vucic said.

The president said that negotiations must be held, and that ten years of negotiations would be better than one hour of conflict or war.

Serbia will, he stressed, always be a factor of stability and peace in the region.

"It may be just a phrase to some, but not to me, it is of utmost importance to preserve peace in relations with Pristina, to talk if necessary three times a day, in order to save each life," Vucic said.

Asked whether he was an optimist when it comes to reaching a compromise, the president said he "does not wish to criticize anyone in front of EU officials" - but that it was "clear not everyone wants a compromise."

"Our job is to strive toward an agreement," he said, adding that "Serbia will not be humiliated or undermined by anyone."

Hahn, who is in charge of EU's neighborhood policy and enlargement negotiations, said that "everyone knows that Kosovo is an open issue - but it is not a be-all and end-all" for Serbia's progress on the EU path.

"There are many other issues," Hahn said.