Hill: Serbia Will Join NATO When Its Citizens Wish

U.S. ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill (BETAPHOTO/AMIR HAMZAGIC)

The U.S. ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, stated on Aug. 11 that NATO had made it clear that Serbia, if it wished, could become a member of the alliance, but stressed that this would take place when its citizens express such a desire.

“We have the utmost respect for Serbia, its military and leadership and we would like to see Serbia not just as a friend and partner, but also as an ally,” Hill stated in a reply to one of the questions the people asked him via social networks.

Commenting on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the danger from conflict, Hill said he was convinced that “there is much greater possibility for true progress in the dialogue than there is for problems.” “Obviously, Belgrade and Pristina have to do more on solving the disputed issues. They have rather good mediators from the EU and the U.S. is also very active. I am looking forward to seeing some progress and I think we can all be invested in that and make sure that everyone is on the task and looking forward,” he stated.

Commenting on the fact that Serbia was the only European country which does not want to impose sanctions on Russia, Hill said that it was obvious that Serbia had a different approach to sanctions against Russia than the U.S. and its European partners.