“U.S. not pushing Serbia into NATO”

Former Serbian Ambassador to the U.S. Ivan Vujacic has stated that the U.S. is not pressuring Serbia into joining NATO. “It is important to normalize relations with NATO because of its presence in Kosovo and protection of the remaining Serbian population in the province,” he told Novi Sad-based daily Dnevnik. “U.S. not pushing Serbia into NATO” Vujacic, who is also a member of the European Movement in Serbia International Realtions Forum, said that as far as the U.S. was concerned, all problems were solved “except for the Mladic case” which was actually more the EU’s problem. “Not even the issue of joining NATO is open here because they are not pushing us into the North Atlantic Alliance, they are aware that it is here seen as hostile, as if somebody should sign the Tripartite Pact with Hitler,” he explained. The former ambassador stressed that the U.S. realized that the issue of Serbia’s NATO accession would not be on the agenda for a long time but that it was not a condition for the country’s EU accession and it strictly had to do with political mood in Serbia. Vujacic also assessed that aggressive lobbying on the margins of the Prayer Breakfast and through some agencies was not exactly helping Serbia solve big political issues.

“U.S. not pushing Serbia into NATO”

Vujačić, who is also a member of the European Movement in Serbia International Realtions Forum, said that as far as the U.S. was concerned, all problems were solved “except for the Mladić case” which was actually more the EU’s problem.

“Not even the issue of joining NATO is open here because they are not pushing us into the North Atlantic Alliance, they are aware that it is here seen as hostile, as if somebody should sign the Tripartite Pact with Hitler,” he explained.

The former ambassador stressed that the U.S. realized that the issue of Serbia’s NATO accession would not be on the agenda for a long time but that it was not a condition for the country’s EU accession and it strictly had to do with political mood in Serbia.

Vujačić also assessed that aggressive lobbying on the margins of the Prayer Breakfast and through some agencies was not exactly helping Serbia solve big political issues.