U.S. VP understands Serbia won't join NATO - Nikolic

U.S. VP understands Serbia won't join NATO - Nikolic

Nikolic, who spoke with U.S. Vice-President Joseph Biden during the gathering, said that the U.S. official told him he was "pleased with the progress Serbia achieved when it comes to cooperation in Southeastern Europe," and "fully supports Serbia's wish to fulfill all the requirements to become an EU member."

"He said that he was informed and agrees that our position is that Serbia has no intention to seek admission to NATO and that he fully understands it, but will support other countries, former members of Yugoslavia, in becoming members of NATO," Nikolic added.

The U.S. vice-president, Nikolic said, had "a lot of praise for Serbia's attitude towards the migrant crisis and migrants as human beings in particular" and hopes the country will have "no additional efforts, meaning, the closing of borders of some states in Europe that would jeopardize Serbia, which would not close its borders, or would receive migrants by other channels, say from Turkey via Bulgaria."

According to Nikolic, the conversations during the summit went "in a very friendly tone" - but, he added, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga "always stresses that Kosovo is a state" to which he "always specifies the status Kosovo is in."

"I then respond by saying which status Kosovo is in, and that it is an eternal status, and that it would be better to negotiate, but sincerely and openly, and fulfill what we agree on," Nikolic told reporters.

According to him, Serbia is "not hiding behind decisions made by any other institution once the president or the prime minister reach an agreement, and always implements that."

He noted that Pristina suspended the part of the Brussels agreement related to the Community of Serb Municipalities a day after the signing of a Stabilization and Association Agreement.

Jahjaga, he added, "cannot speak about essential autonomy" - while she could speak about Kosovo being "the youngest state in the Balkans" only after "a decision of the UN Security Council."

Nikolic said that the summit also discussed the Serbian government's progress in reforms, and said the EU should "encourage Serbia by opening (membership negotiations) chapters."

"Historic step"

Vice-President of the United States Joseph Biden has welcomed the steps that Belgrade and Pristina are taking toward a constructive dialogue, describing them as a historic achievement.

We welcome the steps that Serbia and Kosovo are taking toward a constructive dialogue. The EU is assisting in that, and that is a historic step, Biden told a news conference in Zagreb at the close of an extraordinary summit held as part of the Brdo-Brijuni Presidential Process.

Biden also said that the U.S. supported the Dayton Peace Agreement and the region's EU integration.

The EU should include the countries of this part of Europe, Biden noted.

Speaking about the refugee crisis, Biden said the cooperation on this issue was as important as the one in the fight against terrorism.

"We will assist the EU in its efforts to prevent entry of terrorists," the U.S. vice president said.