President Nikolic: Biden understands Serbia won't join NATO

President Nikolic: Biden understands Serbia won't join NATO

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said in Zagreb on Wednesday he will likely visit Croatia again for a bilateral visit in the spring.

Speaking after the Brdo-Brijuni summit, Nikolic said the visit will take place "if there are no early elections (in Croatia)."

Nikolic, who spoke with U.S. Vice-President Joseph Biden during the gathering, said that the U.S. official told him he was "pleased with the progress Serbia achieved when it comes to cooperation in Southeastern Europe," and "fully supports Serbia's wish to fulfill all the requirements to become an EU member."

- He said that he was informed and agrees that our position is that Serbia has no intention to seek admission to NATO and that he fully understands it, but will support other countries, former members of Yugoslavia, in becoming members of NATO -Nikolic added.

The U.S. vice-president, Nikolic said, had "a lot of praise for Serbia's attitude towards the migrant crisis and migrants as human beings in particular" and hopes the country will have "no additional efforts, meaning, the closing of borders of some states in Europe that would jeopardize Serbia, which would not close its borders, or would receive migrants by other channels, say from Turkey via Bulgaria."

According to Nikolic, the conversations during the summit went "in a very friendly tone" - but, he added, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga "always stresses that Kosovo is a state" to which he "always specifies the status Kosovo is in."

- I then respond by saying which status Kosovo is in, and that it is an eternal status, and that it would be better to negotiate, but sincerely and openly, and fulfill what we agree on -...