Vucic meets Putin in Beijing: Deep gratitude for support of Serbia’s territorial integrity

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic met today in Beijing with Russian President Vladimir Putin, to whom he conveyed his gratitude for Russia’s support and respect for the territorial integrity of Serbia. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that he holds in high regard the independent foreign policy pursued by Serbia.

“I am glad to see you in Beijing and thank you for finding the time for us to meet today. I would like to thank you for the hospitality and warm welcome in Moscow on May 9. Allow me to personally express my deep gratitude for your support and respect for the territorial integrity of Serbia and to thank you for the friendly attitude toward the Serbian people,” Vucic told Putin at the start of the meeting.

He underlined that cooperation with Russia at the highest level in all fields is important for Serbia, expressing hope that there will be opportunities to strengthen and expand that cooperation.

“For us, the area of energy and gas supply is of vital importance. Thanks to the oil pipeline toward Hungary, we will be able to take steps forward in developing cooperation in that area,” Vucic said, inviting Russian companies to participate in infrastructure projects in Serbia.

He also pointed out that Serbia has been in a difficult position and under great pressure since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis.

“Despite that, we have managed to preserve a principled stance, to defend Serbia’s independence, and we are the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia. We will continue to safeguard our neutrality in the future,” Vucic stressed.

He added that he wished to hear all of President Putin’s proposals for further development of relations between Serbia and Russia.

“Thank you once again for the warm reception, and I am certain that bilateral cooperation between Russia and Serbia can be strengthened and expanded,” Vucic concluded.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin expressed his satisfaction with meeting the Serbian president.

“We treat with great respect the independent foreign policy that Serbia pursues under your leadership. I am glad that today we are discussing bilateral and regional issues, as we always do whenever we have the opportunity to meet and speak in person,” said Putin.

He emphasized that the strategic partnership between the two countries continues to bring positive results for both Serbia and Russia.

He noted that there had been a decline in trade last year but that this year a positive trend is visible, adding that it is their joint task to maintain that.