Vucic meets with Stoltenberg in Munich

MUNICH - Serbian Prime Minister 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-Metohija and NATO's guarantees for the safety of Serbs in KiM," 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.

Photo Tanjug/Government of Serbia