"Serbia has not moved one step closer to NATO"

"Serbia has not moved one step closer to NATO"

BELGRADE -- Serbia's military stance is neutral and the country has not moved one step closed to NATO membership, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Sunday.

"Serbia's military stance is neutral and we have no intention of becoming a member of NATO, but there is a common interest in building peace in the region and working with NATO," he told TV Pink commenting on the Individual Partnership Action Plan between Serbia and NATO, whose implementation started several days ago.

That represents the highest level of cooperation between NATO and a country that is not its member, he stressed.

The daily Vecernje Novosti reported previously that the document allows NATO soldiers to free transit through Serbia, grants them special status protection, and allows them to use the country's military infrastructure.

"No spectacle should be made out of this agreement. It should not be seen as moving closer to membership, in no way, but as development of our good relations," he said.

Serbia's goal is to build partnership relations with everyone, he noted, adding that Serbia had "the same observer status in the Organization for Collective Security and Cooperation, which is led by Russia," Tanjug reported.

Serbia's cooperation with both sides does not undermine its neutrality, he remarked, adding that Serbia had participated in joint military exercises with both sides.