Popovic: Serbia needs Russian gas, oil for economic security, growth

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister for International Economic Cooperation and the Social Position of the Church in the Country and Abroad Nenad Popovic said on Friday that, throughout history, the Serbs had never had a closer friend or a more dependable ally than Russia, and noted that Serbia needed Russian gas and oil to ensure stable supply, security for businesses and citizens as well as unobstructed industrial and overall economic growth.

Addressing a session of a Serbia-Russia intergovernmental committee on trade and economic and science and technical cooperation - which he co-chaired alongside Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov - Popovic noted that the volume of trade between Serbia and Russia continued to grow and develop amid challenging conditions for doing business.

"Serbia gets its gas from Russia at the most favourable prices, under the best terms and, most importantly, we have guaranteed gas quantities, which represents an extremely important factor of energy stability for the Republic of Serbia," Popovic said.

He added that Serbia was immeasurably grateful to the brotherly Russian people for its support and understanding in the most difficult moments of Serbian history, as well as for its consistent readiness to defend, together with the Serbs, the values of freedom, justice and dignity.

Welcoming a Russian delegation headed by Reshetnikov, Popovic noted that the committee's session was a key mechanism of monitoring, advancement and development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation and overall bilateral relations.

He said he was especially pleased with the first Serbian-Russian business forum, which brought together some 200 participants from both countries on Thursday, including state officials, representatives of the business and the financial sectors and experts in various fields.

"This year, we mark 85 years since the outbreak of WWII. The brotherly Serbian and Russian peoples have always been on the right side of history, fighting against Nazism courageously and selflessly, and we suffered the greatest sacrifice for freedom," Popovic noted.

He expressed gratitude to the Russian Federation and its President Vladimir Putin for the consistent and continued support for Serbia in protection of its territorial integrity and sovereignty, especially when it comes to its southern province, Kosovo-Metohija.

"That support represents one of the key pillars of our international positioning and the defence of our state and national interests. The recent discussions between the President of the Republic of Serbia, Mr Vucic, and the President of the Russian Federation, Mr Putin, further confirm the continuity and the strength of our bilateral relations, and their personal relationship and trust, which are on the highest level, lend an additional impetus to development of cooperation in all areas," Popovic said.

Noting that external pressure aimed at eroding the Serbia-Russia relationship would grow further in the coming period, Popovic said the two countries were connected by deep historical friendship and cultural and religious ties, as well as by a long tradition of mutual understanding and support.

"We will always stand together with our brothers from Russia," Popovic noted.