"All efforts towards achieving peace in Ukraine"

"All efforts towards achieving peace in Ukraine"

"Serbia knows much about losing lives," said Vucic, adding that its people were involved in several wars in the 20th century and suffered enormous casualties.

You cannot bring anyone back to life, but you can do much to preserve lives, and that is the top priority, he underlined.

"We believe that peace is very much needed, today more than ever," the Serbian prime minister said, adding that the opposite would lead to a catastrophe that everyone wants to avoid.

"Serbia is a small country but with lots of experience. We will be objective and we can help find a peaceful solution to the crisis," said Vucic.

Speaking about the post-conflict developments in the Western Balkans, Vucic said that the countries in the region are working on overcoming the problems and focusing on the future instead of the past.

Commenting on the recent judgment of the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding Serbia's and Croatia's mutual genocide claims , Vucic said that neither side is satisfied with the decision, and that it was to be expected that the judgment would be a compromise.

"We will do everything to improve our relations, and resolve all open issues, including the issues of missing persons, refugees and their property in Croatia," the Serbian prime minister said.

Vucic stressed that Serbia is doing everything to strengthen the ties with its neighbors, pointing specifically to Albania. The Albanian prime minister visited Serbia in November 2014, which was the first such visit after nearly seven decades, the bilateral visits have started on a ministerial level, and Tirana and Belgrade are lobbying together in Brussels for joint projects, Vucic pointed out.

The Serbian prime minister said that Belgrade and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo do not always see eye to eye, but are trying to find the solution through dialogue. Both sides are aware that they must talk about the open issues, he said, adding that the dialogue on the normalization of relations is to resume on February 9 in Brussels.

Great work

The United States support Serbia's EU course and together with Europe, want to cooperate with Serbia in the EU integration process and the energy sector, Vice President of the United States Joseph Biden said at a meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

"You are doing great work for Serbia. I want you to know that Serbia is an important country for the region," Biden told Vucic on the sidelines of the Security Conference in Munich on Saturday.

Vucic informed Biden about the economic reforms carried out by the Serbian government and the arrangement with the IMF to be concluded in February.

Serbia is committed to preserving the political and economic stability of the Balkans, stressed the prime minister.

Biden invited Vucic to pay an official visit to Washington, and in turn accepted his invitation to visit Serbia, the government's press office said.

Vucic told reporters that the meeting was friendly, adding that Biden said that he considers Serbia one of the most significant countries in the South East Europe and expressed his support to the sweeping reforms carried out in the country.

Vucic took part in the Security Conference in Munich, during which he had several bilateral meetings and met briefly with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her foreign policy advisor Christoph Heusgen.

The Serbian prime minister stressed the importance of maintaining close relations and contacts with German officials and businessmen, having in mind the country's influence and significance in Europe.

Serbia will support Germany's stance on not sending weapons to Kiev, said Vucic, adding, however, that the country is focusing primarily on its own economic problems and improving the livelihood of its citizens.

Good relations

Aleksandar Vucic met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the Security Conference in Munich, and said that Serbia maintains good relations with NATO through the participation in the program Partnership for Peace.

"The crucial matters for us are the presence of KFOR in Kosovo and Metohija and NATO's guarantees for the safety of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija," Vucic said on Friday.

Noting that the relations between countries in the Western Balkans have improved, the prime minister stressed that Serbia will apply all efforts to preserve the economic and political stability in the region.

Stoltenberg underlined the need for further strengthening and promotion of the relations between Serbia and NATO, and welcomed the forthcoming continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, as well as the reforms carried out by the Serbian government, the government said in a release.

Serbia, as part of 'Partnership for Peace', is a very important partner to NATO, said Stoltenberg.

He added that his connections with Serbia are not only professional but also personal.

Jens Stoltenberg spent some of his childhood in Belgrade, where his father Thorvald served as Secretary of the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade in the 1960's.

After the meeting, Vucic told reporters that Stoltenberg is a friend of Serbia.

"I am convinced that we can expect his help and support in the future,” said Vucic.

The prime minister added that Serbia maintains good relations with Russia and the NATO and expressed his belief that both sides can help to maintain the political stability in Serbia and overall stability in the region.