Serbia Not Seeking Full Membership in NATO - Defense Minister

Serbia is not seeking full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the country's defense minister said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Belgrade does not intend to change its stated position on Serbia-NATO relations since it pursues a policy of military neutrality, Bratislav Gasic said at the plenary session of the IV Moscow Conference on International Security.

"I wish to draw the attention to the fact that the Republic of Serbia is not seeking full membership in NATO."

Serbia is part of the NATO Partnership for Peace program to promote trust between the alliance and other European states, as well as with those of the former Soviet Union.

On April 7, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told Sputnik that the country had no plans to join NATO despite signing an Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with the North Atlantic Alliance earlier this year.

According to the recent public opinion polls, only 10 percent of Serbian citizens support joining NATO.