In between his trips to Washington and Vienna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic says in an interview for "Blic" that Serbia's strategic goals - the EU, fostering traditional relations with Russia and China and regional stability - remain unaltered.

Serbia is not increasingly leaning to the West, as has been interpreted over the past few days, but it has its strategic goals, that have been the same in the last three years. If someone has observed them just now, it is only their fault. Hence, we have our friendship with Russia on the one hand, and our commitment to the EU, on the other.

In your conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry, did you clear up his position that Serbia was in the firing line between the East and the West?

Yes, I did. I asked him what he meant by this. I explained that Russia had never asked us to not join the EU, or blackmailed us in any way. Putting it simply, Russia is not blackmailing Serbia in any respect. We do not have a dilemma whether we are headed to the EU or to the Eurasian alliance. We are heading towards the EU, for we do not belong to the latter. Not even Russia has asked us to do so. This dilemma is artificial.

Are we mending our relations with the US?

We are improving them and deepening the relationship of mutual trust and partnership. Let there be no illusion, neither the US Secretary of State has asked anything from Serbia as the country currently holding the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office, nor has Moscow. The United States is not favouring confrontation, but de-escalation of conflict. I am consulting with everyone regarding Ukraine, both with Moscow and Kiev, both with Washington and Berlin. Serbia has never had a better position, and I am very satisfied.

One of the leading Russian media "Russia Today" has been calling out the Government at 11 Nemanjina Street over the past few days. Is Russia straining its relations with Serbia?

In foreign affairs, we cannot focus so much attention on one case. Our time-honoured relations with Russia are not at stake. The policy we are pursuing in the OSCE has enlisted support of not only Moscow, but also of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

What do you think about the role of the former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, as an Advisor to the Government?

I was not in Serbia due to the meetings in relation to the OSCE and I have no information about that.