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The bilateral meeting between President Vučić and the Russian Foreign Minister began at 4.30 pm in Villa “Mir”.
– Once again, I would like to greet my dear friend Mr. Lavrov, with whom I had detailed and exhaustive conversations, mainly about relations between Serbia and Russia, in a markedly friendly manner. We have determined the determination of both countries to continue developing and improving our relations – said Vučić.
He added that he was satisfied and had the honor to pay tribute to the Russian heroes with the head of Russian diplomacy.
– We have a joint role with the Russian Federation in defending the truth for which the Russian people suffered, but also the Serbian people. Our people are by far the most suffering in this part of Europe. It is clear that there are attempts to revise history, and we will firmly oppose that, and we will teach our children and grandchildren who were the people who really fought for the freedom of the world and of Europe – said the President.
Then, Vučić spoke about the visit to the Temple of Saint Sava, and once again thanked Russia and Vladimir Putin for the important help they provided for the construction of, as he said, the most beautiful temple in the world.
– It was in no better place than the Temple of Saint Sava, and it was in places of worship all over the world. We couldn’t do that without our Russian friends.
The President pointed out that the topics of conversation were also energy, technical-military cooperation, trade and strategic projects.
– We have good cooperation in all areas, Russian Railways is working here on the construction of a dispatch center, on large railway sections – noted Vučić, speaking on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija.
– We thank our Russian friends for supporting the territorial integrity of Serbia, but we are also personally grateful to Lavrov for the support he gives us in various world organizations. We also touched on the issue of military neutrality, and that commitment is not in doubt. Serbia will not be part of military blocs, we will protect our freedom, the sky and the country on our own. I appreciated the military-technical support we received from Russia and President Vladimir Putin, Vučić noted.
Sergei Lavrov thanked President Vučić and Serbia for the friendly reception.
– We discussed a whole range of issues in our bilateral relations and the meetings were extremely productive. We also spoke about agreements to strengthen the partnership on political, economic and military-technical issues, Lavrov said, saying that Moscow highly appreciated Vučić’s presence at the Victory Parade in Moscow this year.
Photo: D. Milovanović
He noted that the joint efforts of Serbia and Russia in combating the corona virus epidemic have been confirmed, and that Russian experts remain in contact with their Serbian colleagues.
– We are also very satisfied with the cooperation between the Russian and Serbian churches, at its foundation is the defense of Orthodoxy. Today I was at the Temple of St. Sava, the construction of which both Serbs and Russians participated, where President Vučić and I paid tribute to the blessed Serbian Patriarch Irinej.
Lavrov welcomed the policy of President Vučić and the fact that Serbia strongly defends the position of military neutrality.
– We are glad that Serbia does not join pacts and alliances that show an openly anti-Russian policy. In addition, the Dayton Agreement turns 25, and we have a united position, we remain committed to defending the achievements of that agreement. We also discuss the unresolved problem of Kosovo and advocate that Resolution 1244 is the basis for seeking all agreements.
He noted that Russia is committed to seeking a compromise and a solution that suits the Serbs, and that Moscow’s position will not change.
Lavrov then spoke about the meeting with Milorad Dodik noting that it was very productive, and then shed light on the incident due to Komsic and Dzaferovic’s refusal to meet with him.
– The politicians who made that decision are not independent, they are probably following the orders of some other factors, and not their own voters. But that will not change our commitment to relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Photo: D. Milovanović
Vučić noted that it is extremely insulting to receive a guest in such a way and said that it is not Sergey Lavrov who does not respect Bosnia and Herzegovina, but Džaferović and Komšić.
– They do not respect their own country. You know it’s cute, showing pride for a day, stirring up passions in people, and saying you’re a force. And what do people have of that tomorrow. Let them do what they want for their country, we will do for ours. Every conversation is better than running away from a meeting. Montenegro says it imposes or leaves sanctions on Russia, we will never do that. They know your interests better than we do and I am proud that Serbia makes its own decisions and implements them.
Vučić stressed that he will always establish good relations with Russia, and that he says so both in Washington and in Brussels, in addition to being proud of that Serbian policy.
President Vučić noted that he had discussed the situation in Europe with Lavrov and that he had received some important information from the head of Russian diplomacy.
– From another angle, the situation in which our country finds itself can be seen in a more objective way. I am not ashamed to repeat that I always learn a lot from Sergei Lavrov.
Photo: D. Milovanović
President Vučić then spoke about Russia’s gas supply and the blackmail that came from the West on that issue.
– So far we have received Russian gas through Ukraine and Hungary, and it has been the most favorable and the cheapest. The Americans told us that we had to buy from others. I went to Aliyev and asked where that gas was cheaper for Serbia, and they told me it was not for our country. We will not buy someone else’s gas for the sake of their political interests. We have built our gas pipeline, which will be connected to the Bulgarian one, and we will buy Russian gas. We will not renounce that, and we will not accept a racket, to buy more expensive. We’re not stupid, so let’s do it – said Vučić.
He recalled the problems in the supply through Ukraine, when Vladimir Putin reacted and intervened to supply gas to Serbia.
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