Serbs don't like NATO; NATO chief regrets innocent victims

"That is, in fact, the real reason, and everything else is more or less a side issue... We are improving cooperation, although Serbia is neutral and we don't strive to be part of any military alliance," said the president.

He was speaking after the start of a civil emergency exercise "Serbia 2018" - co-organized by the NATO Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) and the Serbian Ministry of Interior.

Vucic said that Serbia is, at a rational level, satisfied with its cooperation with NATO, while that the lack of popularity of that alliance here is a consequence of "emotional and psychological issues." Vucic also said he was "confident that the Serbian citizens will know to appreciate the fact that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has on several occasions said he regretted the civilian casualties from the NATO bombing in 1999."

"There's nobody in this country who hates Stoltenberg. The Serbs do not like what happened in Kosovo in 1999, but if Jens were more present, it would be a good way to improve cooperation," Vucic said.

Asked "how NATO can change the perception of the Serbian public opinion," Stoltenberg, who along with Vucic attended the start of the exercise in Mladenovac, near Belgrade, said that "the best way is to continue working together, such as today's exercise."

"This exercise is good for Serbia, for the region and for all of NATO. Actions speak louder than words, and the best we can do is to show that we are able to strengthen our partnership," he has been quoted as saying.

Stoltenberg also said today that the military alliance he heads "fully respects the neutrality of Serbia and the fact that there is no aspiration to join NATO," and once again expressed his ...