Meeting with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic

The Russian delegation included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Lavrov SergeiMinister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation , Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak Novak AlexanderDeputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation , Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin Oreshkin MaximDeputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office , Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office and Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov Peskov DmitryDeputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, Presidential Press Secretary , Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov Ushakov YuryAide to the President , Minister of Economic Development and Chairman of the Russian side of the Intergovernmental Russian-Serbian Committee on Trade, Economic, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation Maxim Reshetnikov Reshetnikov MaximMinister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation , and Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, General Director of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev Dmitriev KirillCEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries .

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President,

I am very pleased to see you and recall our previous meeting in Moscow. I am glad to have the opportunity to meet again on the sidelines of tomorrow's events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Our strategic partnership is mutually beneficial and delivers positive results for both Russia and Serbia. Last year, trade experienced a certain decline; however, this year we are seeing positive momentum, and our goal is to consolidate and build upon it.

Our respective departments maintain regular and productive cooperation, working intensively and achieving tangible results. As I understand it, the next meeting of the Committee on Trade and Economic Relations is scheduled for later this year in Belgrade. We are, of course, both ready and eager to continue our joint efforts in these areas.

We recognise and respect the independent foreign policy that Serbia is pursuing under your leadership. I am pleased to have the opportunity today to discuss both bilateral and regional issues, as we always do when we meet in person.

It is a pleasure to see you again.

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic Vucic AleksandarPresident of the Republic of Serbia : Mr President,

I am very glad to see you. Thank you very much for this opportunity to meet with you today.

I would like to thank you once again for the cordial hospitality and warm welcome in Moscow on May 9.

Also, I would like to express my enormous gratitude to you personally for respecting and supporting Serbia's territorial integrity and for your friendliness towards Serbian people.

The high level of cooperation with Russia across all areas is very important to Serbia. I hope we will be able not only to maintain but also to deepen and expand this cooperation.

The energy sector and gas supplies to Serbia are vitally important to us. Thanks to the construction of a pipeline to Hungary, we will be able to move forward in our own energy development.

I would like to say welcome to all Russian companies that would like to participate in Serbia's infrastructure projects, including Russian Railways, Rosatom and many others.

I should inform you, Mr President, that since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, Serbia has been in a very challenging situation and under extreme pressure. Despite that, we have been able to stand by our principled position and defend Serbia's independence. Currently, we are the only country in Europe that has not imposed any sanctions on the Russian Federation. Of course, we will continue to maintain our military neutrality.

I will carefully listen to your advice and proposals regarding the development of our relations in the future.

Thank you for the warm welcome. I am confident that we can strengthen and elevate Serbia-Russia relations to a highest level.

Thank you once again for the hospitality here in Beijing, China. Thank you very much.

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