Djuric: Serbia is against historical revisionism

BELGRADE - Serbia must be against historical revisionism and aware of the fact it suffered millions of victims in the fight against fascism, regardless of what anyone might think about its participation in Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Wednesday.

"Regardless of what anyone might think and whether they agree with our participation or not, we all know what our position is, and it is based on historical reasons," Djuric told Happy TV in a comment on the pressure Serbia was facing over its announced presence at the Victory Day parade in Moscow.

It is our duty to align our policy with our national interests, he noted.

Commenting on decisions by Lithuania and Latvia to ban overflight of their territories by the Serbian presidential plane en route to Moscow, Djuric said overflight was a technical matter that should not be politicised.

Some would like to see Serbia refrain from safeguarding and defending its own interests and instead accept to work in line with the interests of centres of geopolitical power, he said.

"It is not our duty to be liked by everyone, either at home or abroad, and our interests do not always match the interests of others. As you know, I very often say something that is not popular with the majority of the public - that we are protecting the territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. I also say that we have not imposed sanctions on Russia, which is also not popular with everyone, but it is our duty to formulate our policy in line with our national interests," Djuric said.