Russia intends to cultivate both partnership and brotherly relations with Serbia, despite the malicious actions of the enemies of both countries.
Russia intends to cultivate both partnership and brotherly relations with Serbia, despite the malicious actions of the enemies of both countries.
This was stated by Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, as reported by TASS.
“Serbia, let me remind you, is one of the founding members of the global organization (the UN), a responsible participant in the international process, and we expect that this friendly country will maintain its sovereignty, continue to act according to its own priorities, construct its foreign policy course pragmatically and carefully, and defend the fundamental values and traditions of its people. On our part, of course, we would like to continue developing partnership and brotherly relations with Serbia in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect, despite the malicious efforts of those who may be called our common enemies, who seek in every possible way to hinder the development of our bilateral ties and, in my view, aim to slow Serbia’s progress as an independent sovereign state and to undermine the well-being of the Serbian people,” the Russian diplomat noted.
Responding to a question regarding Serbia’s stance on Russian aggression in Ukraine, Zakharova emphasized that this is a decision that belongs to the Serbian people themselves.
“As for achieving the goals of the special military operation (the term used by Moscow for the war in Ukraine – ed.) by Russia, its aim is to strengthen the natural tendencies in the development of the modern world. This primarily concerns the transition to a multipolar order, based on the principle of sovereign equality of states, respect for their legitimate rights and interests, and the consistent observance of the fundamental provisions of the UN Charter in their entirety and interconnectedness,” stressed the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
BGNES recalls that Serbia’s only oil refinery has ceased operations due to U.S. sanctions against the Serbian Oil Industry (NIS). The sanctions were imposed because of the majority Russian stake in the refinery’s ownership.
Since October of last year, NIS has been under sanctions as part of Washington’s measures against the Russian energy sector following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The long-delayed sanctions, initially announced in January, began to be enforced from October 9, leaving Belgrade in search of a solution to the approaching energy crisis. | BGNES