"Not all regional countries are sincere partners" - Nikolic

"Not all regional countries are sincere partners" - Nikolic

He made the comments as he received ambassadors of Slovakia, Finland and Norway for separate farewell visits.

Nikolic said that "it was obvious that the fact Serbia has jumped ahead of others does not suit some" - but, he added, '"we are doing what we said we would do, because that is the only way to guarantee a secure and prosperous future for the whole region."

According to his press service, the president stressed that it would be good if, as a gesture of goodwill, the European Union clearly showed that it appreciated all the progress made by Serbia "by soon opening the first chapter" in the EU accession negotiations.

'It would also be a clear and unambiguous message to all those in the region who are trying to take us back to a time of conflict and instability - that Europe and the international community appreciates and rewards only those who are ready to participate constructively in building a better world and who with concrete actions show that they want cooperation, not senseless hostilities," Nikolic added.

The diplomats - Jan Varso of Slovakia, Pekka Orpana of Finland, and Nils Ragnar Kamsvag of Norway - have been quoted as telling Nikolic that Serbia in the last three years "made visible progress" and that its reputation in the world is now "on a much higher level than it was a few years ago."

Serbia has demonstrated its determination to solve problems, the courage to implement necessary reforms and its willingness to provide better living conditions for its citizens, worthy of the European family of nations - it was noted during the meetings, according to a statement from Nikolic's press service.