“This was an important step”: NATO thanks Serbia for the anti-Russian resolution
The North Atlantic Alliance considers Serbia an important and valuable partner.
The correspondent reports about this "PolitNavigator", US Ambassador to NATO Julian Smith said in an interview with Tanjug.
“We look forward to finding new ways to collaborate. I think we are interested in Serbia’s ideas on how to strengthen these relations,” the diplomat said.
According to her, at the Madrid summit Russia was identified as the main threat to global security.
Asked how she saw the situation in the Western Balkans in the context of the conflict in Ukraine, Smith replied that “at the NATO summit in late June, the alliance presented a new strategic concept, and that the United States is very much the focal point of that concept.”
“We spent a lot of time this year on the Russian war in Ukraine. The strategic concept also emphasizes the importance of the Balkans, the importance of peace and stability and further work on this. For this reason, a small delegation of NATO ambassadors visited the region in the previous two days, and we really enjoyed our visit,” the ambassador emphasized.
She added that NATO greatly appreciates Serbia’s decision to vote for the UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s special operation in Ukraine.
“This was an important step; we appreciate Serbia’s decision at that moment to support the West and Ukraine in the struggle for territorial integrity and state sovereignty. I hope that in the future we will continue to collaborate with our friends in Serbia on this challenge. We are well aware of their Euro-Atlantic aspirations and look forward to continuing to cooperate on our shared values and on this war in Ukraine,” Smith said.
She avoided directly answering the question of how KFOR would respond in the event of further escalation in Kosovo and Metohija, saying only that the mission has everything it needs to do its job successfully.
“Let me say that Serbia is an important partner in this KFOR mission, and we look forward to strengthening it in the coming weeks and months,” the ambassador concluded.
English version :: Read in English “This was an important step”: NATO thanks Serbia for the anti-Russian resolution