Serbia and Kazakhstan "to launch joint pilot project"

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev "agreed to launch a joint pilot project," Tanjug reported.

Serbia and Kazakhstan "to launch joint pilot project"

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev "agreed to launch a joint pilot project," Tanjug reported.

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Nikolic said that the idea is for Kazakh companies to invest in Serbian state-owned enterprises undergoing privatization, the firms with good brands that do not have enough funds to start production.

Speaking for the local TV Khabar, Nikolic said that the factory, which is to serve as a model for the future Serbian-Kazakh cooperation, could be opened in mid 2016, during Nazarbayev's visit to Serbia.

Nikolic visited Almaty on Saturday and met with the city's mayor Bauyrzhan Baibek. During this meeting, Nikolic said that he is very happy with the results of his visit to Kazakhstan, the president's press service said.

During the interview, Nikolic also said that the problem of migrants must be solved jointly by Europe as a whole.

Serbia does not want to force the migrants to move on, but it is simply not possible to let them settle in Serbia permanently or to build shelters for them, he told TV Khabar.

"Serbia cannot resolve this issue, and Serbia is not the migrants' final destination, but only a transit country," stressed Nikolic, adding that the migrants do not want to stay in Serbia because the country does not have enough jobs even for the people who were born in it.

The EU has now been put to the test, the Serbian president said.

Speaking about the country's bid to join the EU, Nikolic said on Saturday that Serbia "belongs in the European Union, but will not disrupt its relations with other countries or recognize Kosovo in order to become a member."

"We have met far more requirements than some EU members, and the EU will realize that sooner or later. We do not intend to disrupt our relations with other countries at any cost, or to recognize Kosovo at any cost, even if this means that we will never join the World Trade Organization or the EU," Nikolic said.

"We want to cooperate with countries around the world," the Serbian president stressed.

Nikolic was on an official three-day visit to Kazakhstan starting on August 27, at the invitation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.