Ambassador Hill: Serbia must decide on European road, Kosovo, Ukraine are different situations

US Ambassador to Belgrade Christopher Hill has indicated that this is the moment Serbia has only one path, it is the West and the European Union (BE).

Hill for Serbian media has stressed that what is happening in Ukraine is a situation quite different from that of Kosovo in 1999.

Contrary to the past, when there was thought to be a third path in Serbia, that the country is neither East nor West, that it is somewhat special, that it goes on its own path, now most Serbs think there is a right path and a wrong path and want to choose the right way”, Hill has been expressed.

As he said, Serbia must decide whether to have “a self-sufficient army and buy weapons from different countries, or join collective defence”.

The “Serbs have to decide about this and I think they've decided that their future will be in the West and not in some undefinated East. All of this is based on what I hear every day from people”, he stressed.

Hill suggested that Ukraine and Kosovo are the very different “situate” and urged that what happened in Kosovo in 1999 not be linked to what is happening today in Ukraine.

When it comes to Kosovo and Serbia, they are neighbouring countries. Serbs live in Kosovo and there are many things in Kosovo that are important to Serbia. Neighbors have to handle this. The proper way is dialogue and negotiations with EU mediation in Brussels”, Hill said.

The ambassador said he believes all elements should be at the negotiating table.

“If we talk about Euro-Atlantic integrations, they are also an element at that negotiating table. When you negotiate, one side wants one thing, the other side wants something else, but then you have to talk about this”, it's over.