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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia will not neglect its traditional friendships

Belgrade/Moscow, 17 February 2025

Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić met today in Moscow with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and emphasised that the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries will achieve their full potential and capacity in the coming period.

At a press conference after the conversation with the head of Russian diplomacy, Đurić said that he is proud to represent a free and independent country, which strives to contribute to regional stability.

He thanked his hosts for supporting the preservation of stability in our country, which is very important for Serbia’s capacity to conduct an independent and self-governing policy.

Đurić expressed gratitude to Russian friends, especially for their support when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia.

According to him, it was on this day, 17 years ago, that international law was violated in the case of Serbia, when the so-called “Kosovo” declared independence illegally and unilaterally in Kosovo and Metohija.

He stated that in the previous period, in the previous few years, we have seen the erosion of human rights and democratic standards in the area of our southern province.

The head of Serbian diplomacy noted that he had also discussed cooperation with Lavrov in the field of energy, where it is extremely important for Serbia to be able to count on Russia’s support when it comes to reliable supplies of natural gas and other energy sources.

He emphasised that Serbia does not want its citizens to be collateral damage of any sanctions, as they were during the 1990s.

In today’s era, we do not want to allow something like this to happen again, and we believe that it is most important for us that the citizens of Serbia do not suffer the consequences of the sanctions against Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), he concluded.

Đurić particularly emphasised that Serbia advocates for a peaceful resolution of all conflicts in the international community, and recalled that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had publicly offered Serbia’s readiness to host talks related to overcoming the crisis in Ukraine.

Lavrov stated that Russia appreciates Serbia’s balanced and sovereign policy and that this is the basis for the development of bilateral relations in the future.

He emphasised the importance of continuing to improve bilateral economic cooperation, as well as cooperation in the fields of science, medicine, energy, infrastructure, innovation and high technologies.

He noted that some in the West do not like the energy cooperation between Serbia and Russia and that attempts are being made to change the situation in that area through unfair and non-market methods.

When it comes to NIS, the Russian Foreign Minister warned that attempts are underway to use sanctions to prevent the operation of this Serbian-Russian company.

In this regard, we have agreed with our Serbian friends to continue working together in order to prevent damage to our common interests, the Russian Foreign Minister pointed out.

Lavrov stressed that Russia will continue to provide support to Serbia in international organisations on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, primarily in order to preserve the relevance of UN Security Council Resolution 1244.