Moscow announced that it will work with its strategic ally Belgrade "in favour of security in the Balkans and to prevent external interference", BGNES reported.
This was said in a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry after the meeting in Moscow between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin - the right-hand man of President Aleksandar Vucic.
"The two discussed current aspects of the situation in the Balkans. The need to continue joint work in the interest of strengthening security and stability and standing up against attempts at destructive external interference in regional affairs was emphasized," said the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov stressed "the need to counter Kyiv's war against the Russian language, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, education, culture and mass media."
The Russian Foreign Minister and the Serbian Deputy Prime Minister confirmed "the focus on maintaining the political dialogue and the importance of implementing mutually beneficial projects".
"A wide range of bilateral cooperation issues and further steps in the development of the strategic partnership between Russia and Serbia were discussed," the Russian ministry said.
Alexander Vulin also held a private conversation with Nikolai Patrushev, Putin's aide.
The two confirmed the "mutual orientation for further improvement of the strategic partnership between Serbia and Russia", the Serbian government press service reported.
The Serbian deputy prime minister said Patrushev was a great friend and ally of Serbia, and thanked him for his efforts and commitment to Belgrade in the "fight against the Srebrenica resolution."
Aleksandar Vulin is the former director of the Serbian Security and Information Service (BIA). In 2023, he was sanctioned by the US for illegal arms deals, large-scale corruption and channelling Russian interests in the Balkans. Within the same year, he was awarded the Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation, personally by the director of the Russian Federal Security Service /FSB/ and general in the Russian Army, Alexander Bortnikov. Vulin is designated as the right-hand man of President Aleksandar Vucic and the engine of the geopolitical project "Serbian World". In the early 1990s, the head of this project was former Yugoslav/Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic.
In June, Vulin laid a wreath at the grave of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, during one of his many visits to Moscow. |BGNES
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