Nikolic: Serbia should not interfere in disputes

PANCEVO - There has been no pressure on Serbia aimed at getting the country to alter its stance towards Russia over the situation in the Crimea, and there would be no benefit from any pressure, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said on Tuesday.

"Discussing that topic would not be too beneficial either. Serbia has its own path, which means that it does not want to choose any of the sides by endangering its relations with the other," President Nikolic said responding to reporters' questions after the start of works on a second track of the railway line from Belgrade to Pancevo, funded by a Russian loan.

Serbia does not see the world as divided between only two powers or two blocs, Nikolic stressed, adding that he assumes that "there has been no discussion on the topic," and that no one has discussed it with him.

"The world is large and diverse, and Serbia has friends everywhere. However, it should not interfere in disputes between large countries, but focus on its own development," Nikolic said.

Asked whether Serbia can be expected to voice an official position on the Crimea issue, Nikolic said that the government is in charge of the domestic and foreign policy and that, as president, he can only have an opinion on the matter.

Serbia needs to have a government in order to be able to have an official position on the issue, he said.

"Should the UN General Assembly next week discuss the situation in the Crimea, I think that the Serbian representative will not be able to voice our position because the parliament must be constituted and the new government formed for that to take place," the Serbian president said.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said on Tuesday that he expects Serbia to get a...