NATO official: Serbia is a valued and longstanding partner

Serbia is a valued and longstanding partner of the Alliance, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, Javier Colomina Piriz told the BETA news agency in an interview, adding that “NATO fully respects Serbia’s declared policy of military neutrality.”

“It is entirely up to Serbia to decide what kind of relations it wants to have with the Alliance,” he added. More should be done to better understand the county’s citizens about cooperation between the two sides,  said Piriz.

“Serbia and NATO have been partners for 15 years, during which time our partnership has grown considerably. On the other side, it is not always apparent that the citizens of Serbia are really aware of the level of cooperation between their country and NATO, and how much we have achieved together. Public diplomacy is, therefore, a field where there is also work to do, for the benefit of both Serbia and NATO,” Piriz, who started his two-day visit to Belgrade on Tuesday, added.

“Serbia cooperates with the Alliance at many different levels, and across the political, military and scientific domains,” he said.

(EURACTIV.rs | betabriefing.com)