Serbian President Boris Tadic and Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias emphasized in Nicosia on Thursday that the two countries have excellent relations and offer each other support to preserving their territorial integrity.

At a joint press conference after meeting Tadic, Christofias said that Cyprus supports Serbia and all Western Balkan countries on their path towards integration in the European Union.

The integration of these countries in the EU would contribute to the stabilization of the situation and relations in the region, he said.

Tadic said that the good bilateral relations are traditional, dating back from a very difficult time for Serbia.

He expressed gratitude to Cyprus for its support to Serbia in the process of EU integration and to its defense of its territorial integrity in Kosovo.

Cyprus is one of the five member states of the European Union which have not recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo.

The two presidents, however, emphasized that much more must be done to foster economic cooperation, as bilateral trade totalled only EUR 15 million last year.

Tadic arrived in Cyprus Thursday and immedialtely conferred with Christofias.

He is scheduled to meet later in the day with Archbishop of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus Chrysostomos II.

On the second day of his visit to Cyprus, Tadic will, together with President Christofias, open a Cypriot-Serbian business forum, in which businessmen from both countries will take part.

President Tadic will afterwards meet with Cypriot Parliament Speaker Marios Karoyan.