Stoltenberg

"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.

"It's a platform for first responders to learn from each other in order to receive the real experiences together and to better prepare for times when we face life's emergency situations," Stoltenberg said in Mladenovac, near Belgrade, on Monday.

He thanked President Aleksandar Vucic for his personal contribution in order for this exercise to be realized.

Russia on Thursday accused western countries of trying to drag the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) into the NATO military alliance, even after the Balkan country's electoral commission ruled Sunday's referendum - which overwhelmingly endorsed the name-change - invalid because of low turnout.

According to a press release, during the visit Stoltenberg will meet with President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

On October 8, Stoltenberg will join Vucic for the opening ceremony of the civil emergency exercise "Srbija 2018", co-organized by the NATO Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) and the Serbian Ministry of Interior, NATO said.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) can only become member of the NATO military alliance if it implements an accord with Greece to change the country's name, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

The NATO chief spoke after the agreement won overwhelming support in a referendum Sunday, but with low voter turnout.

The future of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will be determined by the decisions made by its politicians in the coming days, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of the European Union Donald Tusk said in a joint statement on Monday.

The name deal with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is gaining increasing international interest, so any handling of the issue by Athens that is motivated by narrow partisan interests or last-minute power plays will only hurt the country. There is a lot at stake.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Sept. 14 that Turkey's purchase of a missile defense system from Russia was Ankara's own "national decision."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has urged Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to ratify the name deal signed by the two countries in June.

In an interview to Kathimerini, Stoltenberg said NATO cannot force any country to do something it doesn't want, but expressed confidence that the agreement will be implemented in Greece and FYROM.

"If you implement the agreement on the name, you will become a NATO member," the chief of the North Atlantic alliance, Jens Stoltenberg told the Former Yugoslav Republic Macedonia (FYROM) during a visit to the capital, Skopje, on Thursday.