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Serbia will not change foreign policy course in detriment of ties with Russia — minister

Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told Bloomberg on Tuesday Serbia had chosen the road of accession to the EU

BELGRADE, July 4. /TASS/. Serbia is not going to change its foreign policy and will not let anyone put itself in the face of choosing between either Russia or the EU, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday in a statement published by the Foreign Ministry.

"We have managed over the past five years to withstand all the pressures we were subjected to and to stay on the European track without spoiling relations the traditional friends, Russia and China in the first place," the statement said. "The essence of a wise policy consists in not letting others put us in front of the choice between either Russia or the EU."

Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told Bloomberg on Tuesday Serbia had chosen the road of accession to the EU and if it were forced to choose between closer ties with Russia and joining the EU, it would choose the latter.

"The EU is where we’re going, that’s clear," she said.

"We do have emotional ties with Russia because of tradition, culture and religion," Brnabic went on. "There are many people in Serbia who completely perceive Russia as our big brother, our protector.’’

She indicated however that "(…) our strategic path is the EU.

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