BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Serbia's president said Thursday that his country won't recognize Kosovo but is open to discussing solutions to the issue.

"If we recognize Kosovo ... Albanians will gain everything and my question is — what will Serbs get?" said President Aleksandar Vucic, who was in Romania for talks with President Klaus Iohannis.

"You're going to get your monasteries protected, your churches protected. My counter question ... would be — and otherwise you would burn it, or what?" he said, echoing the emotions of many Serbs who view Kosovo as Serbia's historic heartland and refuse to give up claims to it.

He added, however, Serbia was willing to discuss "all possible solutions," though part of the issue is "how to sell it to our public and how the Albanians sell it to their public."

Last month, during a visit to Belgrade, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Serbia it had to solve its dispute with Kosovo, and implement a series of reforms before it can join the European Union.

Vucic thanked Iohannis, who offered to help on the Kosovo issue.

"If the solution is not fair.... and is not supported, it won't be a solution," Iohannis cautioned.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognized by 115 countries. Serbia and Romania do not recognize Kosovo.

About 10,000 people were killed during the 1998-99 war in Kosovo which ended when NATO bombed Serbia to end its crackdown against independence-minded ethnic Albanians.