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Serbia does not plan to join NATO as most citizens are against it — FM

According to the minister, Serbia's intention to join the EU can't harm good relations with Russa

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic

© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. Serbia does not plan to join NATO, and this reflects the position of most Serbian citizens, Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Friday after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

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"We do not plan to join NATO," Dacic said adding that "no one in the government has initiated Serbia’s membership in the Alliance." "Our cooperation and relations with NATO remain at the level of partnership for the sake of peace and are maintained on the basis of an individual plan for those countries that do not want to become members of the Alliance," Dacic added.

Serbia "supports constructive approach to NATO, so that there are no more bombings," the foreign minister said. "Belgrade does not embark on path of rapprochement with NATO for the Serbian people, not for Russia," he noted. "Most Serbian citizens are against the country’s. membership in the Alliance. We are not engaged with this but several media are engaged with manipulations about Serbia’s intention to join NATO," Dacic said.

Talking about Serbia’s plans to join EU, the foreign minister noted that "we want to become EU’s member, it is in our interests." "We are the country that is geographically and politically located in this part of Europe. However, this can in no way harm our good relations with Russa," he added.

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