Serbia could join NATO “immediately” if it chose, Vučić says

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has said Serbia could be admitted to NATO "immediately" if it chose to seek membership, but reaffirmed that his government remains committed to military neutrality and has no intention of involving the country in military conflicts.

Speaking to Serbian journalists in Paris, Vučić said his administration would continue to pursue the policy it had promised voters, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

"You know, I am pursuing the policy I promised my people: a policy of military neutrality. I will not drag Serbia into conflicts. I want to preserve peace in Serbia; I want to preserve stability. Sometimes that's not easy... If I wanted us to join NATO, we would be admitted immediately," he said.

Vučić also stressed that he had not agreed to Serbia joining the so-called "Coalition of the Willing."

In comments to the Financial Times, the Serbian president said he was seeking to strengthen economic ties with the United States, particularly by attracting American investment in the energy sector.

“Americans are smart people . . . looking for a bigger influence,” he said. “We need to have a good relationship with the US and I look forward to starting that strategic dialogue.”

He identified energy as a key area for future US investment, pointing to plans for a multibillion-dollar hydroelectric power plant on the Danube River, the construction of a major data centre in southwestern Serbia, and the expansion of renewable energy capacity to support it.

By Sabina Mammadli