Dacic concludes visit to Moscow

MOSCOW - Serbian First Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dacic concluded a visit to Moscow on Friday.

Dacic travelled to Russia at the invitation of Russian FM Sergey Lavrov.

The two met on Thursday at the Spiridonovka Palace, where they discussed economic, political and other forms cooperation as well as the situation in Kosovo-Metohija, the Balkans and worldwide.

Congratulating Lavrov on his 74th birthday, Dacic also presented a birthday gift to the Russian top diplomat.

Dacic said a UN Security Council session on the situation in Kosovo-Metohija - requested by Russia - was uncertain.

"There are announcements by Western countries that we should not come in vain because there will probably be no session. That means they could initiate a vote on the procedure," Dacic said.

He thanked Lavrov for Russia's firm position on Kosovo-Metohija.

He said Serbia-Russia relations were also based on a high level of mutual trust between Presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Vladimir Putin.

Dacic said an existing natural gas deal with Russia needed to be extended beyond 2025.

He also met with Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, who co-chairs a Serbia-Russia intergovernmental committee on trade, economic and scientific and technical cooperation.

The Serbian minister said an agreement had been reached for the committee to meet in Moscow in the autumn.

Dacic added that, under the agreement, Reshetnikov would visit Serbia in June for preparations for the session of the committee - which has not met since 2021 - and to see what areas Serbia and Russia could work on to advance bilateral cooperation, in the energy and railway sectors in particular.

Accompanied by Lavrov, Dacic also attended a Russia vs Serbia friendly football match at Moscow's VTB Arena on Thursday evening.