Serbian president Nikolic promises closer EU ties Serbia's new president has taken office re-iterating his support for the country to join the EU. Tomislav Nikolic told politicians in the Belgrade parliament that he wants a "house with two doors, to the East and to the West" - referring to a desire to maintain relations with former protector Russia while strengthening ties with Brussels. A major obstruction to EU entry is Serbia's opposition to the declaration of independence by Kosovo, its former province, in 2008. Serbia is a republic of the former Yugoslavia, which was a Eastern Bloc country aligned with the Soviet Union. Nikolic has already met Russian President Vladimir Putin despite promises that his first trip as leader would be to Brussels. Nikolic was a coalition partner of Slobodan Milosevic during the late 1990s Kosovo War. More about: European Union, Kosovo, Russia, Serbia