President: Serbia right country for OSCE chairmanship

President: Serbia right country for OSCE chairmanship

MOSCOW -- Serbia is a suitable country for OSCE chairmanship at a time when the search for a solution to the problem in Ukraine is underway, Tomislav Nikolić has said.

The Serbian president spoke for the Russian national television and expressed the wish for the solution to be found soon.

Ukraine is a friend to Serbia and it has not recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija, Nikolić said in an interview broadcast on Saturday by the Russia-24 channel.

He believes that Serbia has "a unique role in the world" and is "a friend to all who are in mutual conflict," and that this will help the country when it takes over as OSCE chair in 2015.

He explained that Serbia had friendly relations "with China and Japan, both Koreas, Israel and Palestine, Arabs and Iranians, India and Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia, Georgia and Russia, Turkey and Cyprus, Turkey and Greece, Greece and Macedonia."

Replying to the statement by the Russian newscaster that Serbia's position makes room for a dialogue with both sides and preserving the country's national interests at the same time, while Ukraine had brought itself in the position where it had to choose between Russia and the EU, Nikolić said that comparisons between these two examples can be hardly made because Ukraine was divided.

A part of Ukraine wanted to stand by the EU and the other part opted for Russia, the Serbian president said and added that Serbia was not divided in this sense, as it wants to keep good ties with both Russia and the EU, which Russia and the EU should make possible.

Asked if he has any concerns about the possibility for Serbia to delay...