“Serbia will fulfill conditions, won’t recognize Kosovo”

The president started his visit to Greece on Friday morning with a meeting with his Greek counterpart Karolos Papoulias.

Papoulias told reporters that geopolitical situation in the region was sensitive and that Greece and Serbia were therefore obligated to show solidarity when it comes to critical national issues as countries with historical friendly ties.

Nikolic said that protection of Serbia's sovereignty was a national interest. Nikolić thanked Papoulias on his country's support to preservation of Serbia's territorial integrity and EU pathway and said that Athens could count on Belgrade's help.

"Serbia will help Greece if it wants to solve some of its problems. We have friendship, reputation and trust so we can help people, that are in fact not fighting, reconcile," the Serbian president said.

His Greek counterpart conveyed Athens' official position regarding Cyprus and a name dispute with the neighboring Macedonia. He stressed that Greece supported Serbia's EU integration and that its main policy was to preserve stability and peace in the Balkans.

"We support EU accession of all Western Balkan countries in order to achieve this common European goal and consolidate stability in Serbia," Papoulias pointed out.

The two presidents noted that Greece and Serbia had no open issues but only friendship that "will never stop". They said ahead of the meeting that nothing could ever separate the Serbian and Greek people because their ties had been built by their ancestors.

Nikolic and Papoulias also assessed that the two countries' economic cooperation was also good and that a great number of Greek companies did business in Serbia.

After the meeting, delegations of the two countries held a meeting, which was attended by Nikolić, Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić, Culture Minister Bratislav Petkovic, president's foreign policy advisor Marko Duric and Serbia's Ambassador to Greece Dragan Zupanjevac.

During his three-day visit, the Serbian president will meet with Greek parliament Speaker Vangelis Meimarakis, PM Antonis Samaras and representatives of top political parties.

In Athens, Nikolic laid a wreath to the Unknown Soldier Tomb with Greek Defense Minister Panos Panayotopulos and he will attend a session of the Serbo-Greek business council with Greek Development Minister Kostas Hatzidakis on Friday.

Nikolić will visit the crypt at Zeytinlik, the Serbian military cemetery near Thessaloniki, where he will lay wreaths, as well as the islands of Corfu and Vido, in commemoration of Armistice Day on Saturday.

The Serbian president and his Greek counterpart will attend a commemorative ceremony on the island of Vido, after which they will visit the Serbian Museum of Corfu, dedicated to Serbian Kingdom's soldiers who perished there during the First World War.

He will also visit Mount Athos and the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Hilandar.