Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today that Russia and Serbia have agreed to continue cooperation in the field of energy.
"Today we are faced with a situation where those who are accustomed to unfair competitive struggle are trying to hinder our joint venture NIS with sanctions, forcing it to abandon cooperation with Russia, and in this regard, we have agreed with our Serbian friends to continue working together in order not to allow harm to our common interests," Lavrov told reporters after a meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Marko Đurić.
He recalled that Russia is the largest supplier of natural gas to Serbia, providing 85 percent of its needs.
"We have never let our Serbian friends down and we are constantly, reliably supplying this energy source. Our mutually beneficial cooperation is not to the liking of Western powers that are trying to make changes in the market by applying unfair methods of struggle. They are using unfair methods that are also seen in EU countries, from where they are pushing out cheap Russian gas to replace it with American liquefied gas, which is much more expensive," he said.
Lavrov pointed out that Russia and Serbia "are facing an unfair fight in trying to impose sanctions on the joint company NIS."
He added that Russia confirmed its readiness to strengthen cooperation given Serbia's "major plans for the modernization of transport infrastructure in connection with the specialized exhibition Expo 2027" in Belgrade.
Speaking to reporters, the Russian minister condemned "attempts to destabilize Serbia."
"We support the efforts and position of the President of Serbia on not allowing the situation in the country to be destabilized. The President of Serbia presented concrete facts about the interference of foreign states. We condemn this practice and believe that the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of a country must be respected by everyone, primarily Western colleagues," Lavrov said.
"I confirmed Russia's readiness to provide support for the protection of Serbia's legitimate interests regarding Kosovo, and we will advocate for this topic to be a priority in the Security Council. We are united with our Serbian friends in the position that Security Council Resolution 1244 (from 1999) has a fundamental meaning in resolving the Kosovo issue and is fully relevant," Lavrov said.
The ministers of Russia and Serbia also discussed Southeast Europe, and Lavrov noted that Moscow supports the Serbian leadership's course towards building constructive good-neighborly relations.
Regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lavrov emphasized that the common position of Serbia and Russia is that the Dayton Agreement must be respected.
He also discussed cultural and economic cooperation with Đurić, as well as cooperation at the international level and the issue of Kosovo.
He also pointed to the successful work of the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center in Niš, which, as he pointed out, has effectively eliminated the consequences of natural disasters on several occasions. He added that the construction of a training ground with Russian equipment is being completed, which will turn the Center into a unique regional institution for the training of experts in the field of civil protection.
Lavrov announced that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will be in Moscow in May to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said today, after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, that it is important for Serbia that it "can count on the support of its Russian friends when it comes to reliable natural gas supplies."
"We do not want the citizens of Serbia to be collateral damage of any sanctions," Djuric said at a joint press conference after the meeting with Lavrov.
He said that the most important thing for Serbia is that its "citizens do not suffer as a result of sanctions against the Oil Industry of Serbia (NiS)," and that he and Lavrov had discussed this in that regard, and that talks would continue in the coming days and President Aleksandar Vučić would speak with Russian officials on the subject.
Djuric, who is on a two-day official visit to Russia, emphasized that Serbia has not imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation, and that President Vučić reiterated yesterday that Serbia will not do so and will continue to behave in accordance with its historical relations with Russia.
Djuric said that he and Lavrov also discussed strategic political topics and emphasized that Serbia conducts its policy independently and autonomously on the basis that the people of Serbia have such an attitude and want a free and independent country.
Djuric said he was grateful to Russia for its "firm and principled stance on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija" and on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia.
He recalled that exactly on this day 17 years ago in the case of Serbia, "international law was violated in Kosovo and Metohija and an illegal unilateral declaration of independence of the so-called Kosovo occurred."
He expressed hope that "tectonic changes in the international community will open up more space" for the issue to be resolved "in accordance with international law and in a civilized manner."
Đurić emphasized that Serbia, although "on the European path, will not forget or neglect its traditional friendships" and that it will continue to develop constructive relations with the Russian Federation and other partners and friends in the world.
He said that Serbia advocates for a peaceful resolution of all conflicts and that he reiterated to Lavrov Serbia's readiness to host all talks on Ukraine and expressed hope that "peace will soon be seen on the European continent."
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