Serbian President Boris Tadic said Saturday that his country will never recognize the declaration of independence by the southern Serbian province of Kosovo, according to reports from Macedonia's capital Skopje.
"But we will support all the regional countries' European Union(EU) integration efforts," Tadic said on the sidelines of a regional summit in Ohrid, a lakeside resort in southern Macedonia.
Tadic told reporters earlier that Belgrade was committed to EU membership, while it would never give up its claim to Kosovo.
"Only European integration can contribute to the economic development and stability in the entire region," he said.
Tadic also warned that recognizing Kosovo's independence represents a precedent that could destabilize not only the region, but Europe and the world at large.
About 40 countries worldwide have recognized the independence of Kosovo, while 17 countries of the 27-member EU bloc have done so.
Serbia signed the Stability and Association Agreement with the EU at the end of last month, the first step leading to a full membership of the bloc.
While high on the agenda of the summit, Kosovo wasn't invited to the summit because there was no consensus on its recognition.
"Macedonia cannot invite Kosovo to the meeting since some of the participants have recognized its independence, but others not, the consensus on the issue was unattainable," Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski has said.
Source:Xinhua
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