MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/. Serbia views Russia as a partner and a friend and has no plans to impose sanctions on Russia, Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic said, addressing the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) on Wednesday.

"Serbia will not impose sanctions on Russia, our major partner and friend. We have faced such actions ourselves and we know how unfair and ineffective they are," he pointed out. "Russia is one of those that we rely on in today’s world," Dacic added.

"We are grateful to Russia for supporting us on all platforms in the fight to keep Kosovo and Metohija in Serbia. They [the EU] tell us, 'abandon Kosovo and Metohija and the path to EU membership will open for you'. Partners don’t talk like this. We want to be part of the EU but no territory should be illegally alienated from a legally recognized country," Dacic pointed out.

Serbia’s foreign policy is aimed at achieving EU membership, maintaining friendly relations with Moscow and Beijing, and boosting ties with Washington. Belgrade is determined to remain militarily neutral, refraining from joining NATO and other blocs. The West opposes this position, making it clear to Serbia that the country’s European integration is only possible if Belgrade recognizes Kosovo and cuts friendly relations with Russia. In recent years, the West has been criticizing Serbia for active cooperation with China.