Tomislav Nikolic has told the Russian Interfax agency that the most important condition set before Serbia for joining the EU will be "to recognize Kosovo."

But the president added that this was a condition "that only slaves could accept."

Nikolic then stressed that Serbia "will not do that" because no nation in the world would accept such a condition.

Kosovo is Serbia's southern province where ethnic Albanians in 2008 unilaterally declared independence - a move that Serbia considers a violation of its territorial integrity.

"I think the most important condition for our entry into the EU will be to recognize Kosovo's independence, but Serbia will not recognize it, and never has, and we have been saying that clearly to representatives of all European countries and institutions. But, if the EU continues to insist on such a decision, it will mean that the EU does not want to see us in its ranks" Nikolic, who is on a two-day visit to Russia, has said.

"In such a situation our conscience will be clear, because everyone will know that we did everything to become a member of the EU," he added.

"But no nation would agree to such a requirement. Only slaves would," the Serbian president said.

Asked "what steps should be expected from Belgrade if the development of cooperation with Russia becomes an obstacle to Serbia's EU integration," Nikolic said:

"I think that these assumptions do not stand, since in our relations with the European Union a more significant problem is the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. Resolving this issue is a basic requirement for our accession to the European Union, while the relationship with Russia, in particular introducing sanctions against it, it can become a problem only when we become an EU member."

Nikolic added that Serbia has informed all European officials of its position that at this moment it does not agree to impose sanctions against Russia, but when it becomes a member of the EU, it will be under obligation to conduct a common foreign policy.

"We are not members of the EU for now and we are not required to join the sanctions," said Nikolic.

However, he added, the problem of Kosovo and Metohija is an issue "that we must solve in order to become join the EU, and we must meet the conditions set before Belgrade and Pristina by some highly influential states."

"In particular, one of these conditions is to sign a mutually binding agreement. While the EU says that in the process of negotiations with Serbia it remains neutral on the issue of Kosovo's status, the main thing is that the most influential EU countries have already recognized Kosovo," he said.

The president recalled that all countries that joined the EU so far have had to meet 34 membership criteria, while another one has been added for Serbia, that of "the unresolved problem of Kosovo and Metohija."

"I think this issue needs to be launched first so that we understand how European and national institutions see relations between Belgrade and Pristina and what actions are expected from Serbia in this context. For now, there is only talk about what Belgrade has to do, while the appropriate steps of Pristina are not even mentioned," Nikolic has been quoted as saying.