Serbian President Boris Tadic said here on Thursday that he wished to launch a new starting point in bilateral relations between his country and France, while stressing that Serbia would never recognize the independence of Kosovo.

In an address to the French Institute of International Relations, Tadic said that although Serbia and France have divergence regarding the Kosovo issue, it is high time for the two countries to launch a new starting point in bilateral ties.

He said Serbia would never recognize the unilateral independence of Kosovo, but it would not give up on peaceful and diplomatic means in solving the issue.

President Tadic told the press after meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday that the two countries had reached in principle an agreement on the establishment of a "strategic partnership," and the two agreed to cooperate in the fields of culture, economy, and EU-related issues.

Sarkozy said France would like to help introduce Serbia into the European Union (EU), his office said.

Kosovo, Serbia's southern province of 2 million people, declared unilateral independence from Serbia in February 2008. Its independence has been recognized by more than 50 countries, including the United States and France, but has been vehemently opposed by Serbia.

Source: Xinhua