Newly-appointed Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg thanked First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic for the congratulatory message addressed to him upon taking up his duties.

Mr. Stoltenberg expressed his belief that KFOR would remain fully committed to the implementation of its mandate under UNSC Resolution 1244, to the benefit of all communities in Kosovo.

The NATO Secretary General underscored that it was possible to make steady progress in strengthening NATO–Serbia relations, and that the practical cooperation we were building should also lead to a stronger political dialogue and clearer understanding.

Mr. Stoltenberg stated that his primary undertaking in his new capacity would be to ensure that the decisions made in Wales be implemented duly, before the next NATO Summit in Warsaw in 2016, which would strongly influence not only the future of the Alliance, but also the partnerships.

In his message to Minister Dacic, the NATO Secretary General expressed his pleasure over the fact that they would work jointly on the advancement of further partnership between Serbia and NATO.