Vucic Says Serbia Does Not Need Foreign Bases, Will Remain Neutral

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Serbian President Alexandar Vucic said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday that Belgrade will remain neutral and does not need foreign military bases.

"When it comes to our bilateral relations once again I underlined to Secretary General Stoltenberg that Serbia is a military neutral country and that we will remain military neutral," Vucic said during a press conference, adding that Serbia "does not need any foreign military bases."

Speaking further to the journalists, the Serbian president said that conducting a military operation in Kosovo and crossing the the administrative line is ruled out.

"For 180 days we have been listening about Serbia’s possibility and Serbia’s wishes it invade either some entities, either some countries in the region and that it was going to happen five months ago, four months ago, three months ago, two months, and it didn't happen so far," Vucic said after his meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The Serbian president also said that he can only deny false news.

"It is easy to use the current political situation against Serbia, so I asked NATO to look carefully at the situation in Kosovo and say when and where Serbian forces crossed the administrative line or border, as they say. We need a rational approach, conversations, a compromise solution, and not someone's desire to find a solution in which someone could blackmail Serbia or order Serbia how to behave," Vucic added.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in his turn said that NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) is ready to intervene if stability at the Kosovo-Serbia border is jeopardized.

"NATO continues to monitor closely the situation on the ground. Our KFOR peacekeeping mission remains focused on its UN mandate, should stability be jeopardized, KFOR stands ready to intervene and will take any measures that is necessary to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all the people of Kosovo," Stoltenberg said during a joint press conference with Serbian President Alexandar Vucic.

The recent escalation between Serbia and Kosovo, which Belgrade sees as its breakaway region, was triggered when Pristina announced plans to introduce new border rules from August 1. The measures would have restricted entry from Serbia with Serbian-issued IDs and license plates, which must be exchanged for Kosovo-issued documents at the border. The tensions at the border pushed Serbs to set up roadblocks. Kosovo authorities eventually decided to postpone implementing the new regulations until September 1, on condition that the roadblocks are removed.