Dacic: Good ties with Russia do not hamper OSCE chairmanship

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic stated on Friday that the close ties with Russia are not hampering Belgrade's chairmanship over the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which has a key monitoring role in Ukraine.

In an interview for The Associated Press, Ivica Dacic said that Serbia's close-knit relationship with Russia "most certainly is not a handicap" when it comes to remaining unbiased in the Ukrainian crisis.
"Even the Ukrainian foreign minister told me ... they see it as an advantage if it is used for de-escalation of hostilities," Dacic said.
The Associated Press noted that Serbia took over the OSCE chairmanship in January amid some concern in the West because of Belgrade's refusal to impose Western-backed sanctions against Moscow over its role in Ukraine.
"Our role is not to take sides, but to help achieve goals that the OSCE has in the conflict areas, one of which is Ukraine," Dacic said.

Photo AP/D. Vojinovic