🔴🔴🔴🔴 MULTI SUBTITLES 🔴🔴🔴🔴
Moscow, June 30, 2023.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s briefing on a wide range of international issues, including humanitarian aspects in the context of developments in Ukraine.
"Question: About a year back, the countries around Serbia − in fact, NATO − prevented you from visiting Belgrade. Is a new attempt being contemplated? What is the level of official contact between Moscow and Belgrade? Does it suit Moscow?
Sergey Lavrov: Indeed, a little over a year ago, in early June 2022, plans were in place for my official visit to Serbia. We regularly exchange visits with our Serbian friends. The West prevented this visit by forcing the countries bordering Serbia to refuse to open their airspace to our plane. We do not see any reason here to hold a grudge against our Serbian friends.
How can we make up for this lost opportunity? I agreed with my good old friend Ivica Dacic, Serbia’s foreign minister, that under the circumstances, he would come to the Russian Federation. We are now considering an exact schedule.
I am not sure whether what I have said to you will result in further impudent demands from the West that Dacic should not go to Russia. At any rate, we have an agreement in this regard.
The West’s behaviour is illustrated by the fact that in September 2022, we approved a schedule of consultations between our foreign ministries with Serbia’s previous foreign minister, during the UNGA in New York,. Do you remember the hysteria of the US and European representatives? They said they condemned Serbia’s signing of a consultation schedule with the Russian Federation at such a time. There is no remedy for this obsession that they have with their grandeur, an unshakable confidence in their rightness, in line with what I spoke about during my introductory remarks. The great “golden billion” dictates its “rules” to everyone, including on who to talk to and what and with whom to sign.
I hope the Serbian people will overcome the current complicated situation in which all kinds of efforts are being made to undermine the ten-year-old agreement on the Community of Serbian Municipalities of Kosovo. Besides many other EU and US actions, attempts were made to organise municipalities in Serb-populated areas in northern Kosovo so that they lacked any Serbian representation.
We are united with the Serbian people in terms of advocating UNGA Resolution 1254 and all the principles agreed on by the international community and endorsed by the UN.
We have regular contacts with Serbia. We appreciate President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and the country’s ministers for always remaining open to contact with our ambassador. This is helpful. We always have the possibility of speaking by telephone. I am looking forward to Ivica Dacic’s visit when he finds a convenient time."
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