Nikolić: I am not president in Priština

Source: Tanjug, RT

MOSCOW -- Tomislav Nikolić says the country's leadership is bound to prove to Serbs in Kosovo that the Brussels agreement is today the only possible solution.

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The Serbian president added that Russia is ready to support any solution Serbia chooses.
"We will only legalize the status of the Serb community by the Brussels agreement, in such a way that the Serbs will not just have control over northern Kosovo but also have powers in four municipalities in the south. I believe we can achieve this and that the Serbs understand this," the Serbian president said in an interview for Russia Today during his last week's visit to Russia.

Nikolić added he always believed that the Kosovo issue should be resolved as soon as possible.

"Today we cannot get what we could have gotten five years ago. And next year we could not get what we can get know. I always said that I will raise the negotiations to the highest possible level and end them as soon as possible, because nothing will be in favor of Serbs and non-Albanians in Kosovo in the long term, while all will be in favor of Kosovo Albanians," he pointed out.

The Serbian president stressed that Serbia is forced to cooperate with NATO to ensure security for Serbs and non-Albanians in Kosovo, and added that the Brussels agreement includes a point which states that NATO will not allow Kosovo's army to step into the territory inhabited by Serbs in the next ten years.

"We know who our best friends are, but we also know with whom we have to cooperate in order to get help. But, we are a good helmsman for the Serbian boat and it will enter calm waters intact," Nikolić underlined.

Asked whether Serbia has lost the territory of Kosovo as it was before 1999 NATO bombing for good, Nikolić said that this is a very complex question.

"Serbia will never lose Kosovo, but I am not the president in Priština. This is what hurts and what, unfortunately, is already difficult to change," he noted.

Nikolić also decisively rejected the possibility of Serbia recognizing Kosovo's independence under any conditions.

When asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's phone call during the Belgrade-Priština talks in Brussels, Nikolić said that they had a long conversation on the situation Serbia is in, what can happen and what Serbia should do.

As he pointed out, Putin has never interfered in Serbia's internal affairs.

"He and the entire Russian administration are willing to help Serbia, but Serbia is alone in this fight. Unfortunately, when the talks started Serbia decided to conduct them with Priština's representatives under EU auspices and did not ask anyone to protect it and take care of its interests. As a result, Serbia often sits across those who are much stronger while negotiating in Brussels," Nikolić underscored.

Russia will back any solution Serbia chooses, he added.

Russia has a clear position that it will never recognize the independence of Kosovo and this means a lot to us, Nikolić concluded.