Lukashenko: Serbia practically lives in EU

MINSK - Serbia practically already lives in the EU, as it is surrounded by it, but it can build good relations with Russia and Belarus as well, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who will visit Serbia on Wednesday, has said.

Serbia should find a path that will not dissapoint the east or the west, he told the daily Politika.

Lukashenko hopes the EU realises that Serbia and Belarus have a long tradition of good relations and wish to work together, which includes economic cooperation, adding that trade between the two countries has quadrupled in the past four years and reached USD 200 million.

He says he understands Serbia's fears and the desire to become a member of the EU, adding that it is possible, but that membership lies in the future, while the people want a better life today.

Commenting on western media articles about him, he stated that he was not offended by them, but that he was sad that such methods were being used to wage a veritable war against countries like Belarus.

He said he was not angry and did not mind that he had been banned from entering the EU.

Lukashenko confirmed that he had offered an S-300 anti-aircraft system and a number of aricraft to Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s, and that the delivery routes had also been worked out.

We found some heroic pilots who were willing to attempt to fly to Serbia undetected, which was a very risky task, he noted.

According to Lukashenko, it did not happen because Milosevic did not believe NATO could attack Serbia, and later on it was too late, as the S-300 could not be transported because of the blockade.

AP Photo/Volodymyr Strumkovsky