BELGRADE - Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said during a meeting with United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous in Belgrade on Monday that Serbia stood ready to increase its contributions to UN peacekeeping operations.

Nikolic stressed the importance of UN peacekeeping forces and their contribution to the preservation of stability in the world, especially in Southeastern Europe.

“The role of UNMIK in Kosovo-Metohija is extremely valuable to Serbia and we hope that the scope and mandate of the mission will remain unchanged,” said President Nikolic.

Serbia is doing all it can to maintain and promote peace and stability in the region, despite the provocations coming from various sides, Nikolic stressed, according to a release from the Serbian president’s press office.

Herve Ladsous thanked Nikolic for Serbia’s contribution to preservation of stability and expressed gratitude for its supporting the organization of the regional roundtable on peacekeeping operations that opened today in Belgrade.

The UN under-secretary-general expressed his sincere support for Serbia on its road to membership of the European Union and emphasized the role of Serbia as regional leader.

We really appreciate Serbia’s contribution to peacekeeping operations across the globe, since Serbian soldiers have showed a high level of training and a high degree of professionalism, Ladsous said, adding that the number of conflicts in the world had decreased, but that, by complexity and intensity, they were more demanding than before.