Serbia to keep ties with China, U.S., Russia while heading to EU: official

Tanja Miscevic, Chief Negotiator for Serbia's accession negotiations with the European Union (EU), said here on Friday her country would rely on China, the United States and Russia despite its European orientation.

"Our policy nowadays is without any questions: strategic goal of Serbia is EU membership," Miscevic said in a public lecture in the Diplomatic Institute at the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry.

On the other hand, even knowing that this strategic goal would bring some obligations for Serbia, for the time being the country had to continue to communicate and work with some other states which were not members of the EU, namely China, the United States, and Russia, Miscevic said.

"China is extremely important for us," she said.

Meanwhile, Serbia needed the investments coming from the United States, she said.

"Of course, when you have the U.S. investors in Serbia, you have the U.S. political support," she said.

As to Russia, her country was extremely economically and energy dependent on it, Miscevic said.

"There is no emotion in this. It's pure economy. We have to survive," she said.

"So, we know where we are heading, we know what are the obligations, we are just trying to survive," she said.

Miscevic was appointed as the Chief Negotiator for Serbia's accession negotiations with the EU in September 2013.

The European Council decided in December 2013 that the accession talks with Serbia be opened, and the First Intergovernmental Conference took place in January 2014. Endit