Nikolic: Time for solidarity has come

PARIS - Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said in Paris on Thursday that French President Francois Hollande has accepted the initiative for his country to feature as the supporter of the international gathering to raise aid for countries recently hit by the catastrophic floods.

After the meeting with Hollande, Nikolic expressed gratitude to France for its participation in all the challenges Serbia has faced over the past week and the assistance it selflessly provided in saving lives, as well as for the acceptance and role of the supporter in the initiative to stage a major international gathering to raise aid for the flood-hit countries.

He noted that Serbia will not beg for help but that the time for solidarity has come.
"We cannot make up for all the damage inflicted on our citizens, and we may have to cover three quarters of the costs on our own, but in the times of trouble, anything we can get, any sign of attention, solidarity and assistance is a symbol for eternity," Nikolic said.

"Serbia will not go begging for assistance and it will not insist on whether or not it is entitled to something. This is a time for solidarity, not for begging," Nikolic noted.

"To whom could we have turned but to France? Our ancestors turned to them in the past also. Whenever it was difficult for Serbia, France was there for us. Time goes by, life brings along new challenges and problems but the people who forget who their friends are do not deserve to exist. We cannot and will not forget friendships, we only forget enmities," he said.

This is why your desire for Serbia to become part of the EU is Serbia's wish as well, and our efforts to meet the conditions for EU accession will only grow more intense, Nikolic told...