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Putin bestows Order of Alexander Nevsky to President Vucic of Serbia

The Order of Alexander Nevsky was granted to the Serbian leader for his profound personal contribution to the comprehensive cooperation with Russia

BELGRADE, January 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is currently on a visit to Serbia, on Thursday presented the Russian Order of Alexander Nevsky to Serbian President Aleksander Vucic.

The ceremony was held after two rounds of bilateral talks at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade.

Putin signed a relevant decree to decorate the Serbian leader with the Order of Alexander Nevsky for his profound personal contribution to the comprehensive cooperation with Russia on January 7.

In an interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman, Aleksandar Vucic said it was a special honor for him to receive the Order of Alexander Nevsky from the Russian president. He stressed that in his capacity of the Serbian president he had been doing his best to strengthen relations between Belgrade and Moscow.

"Awarding this order, President Putin not only demonstrated that he understands how much Serbia has done to keep good relations between our two countries and what my personal contribution to that is. He also demonstrated that he respects the fact that we have managed to preserve independence, our sovereignty in decision-making, to preserve our freedom being a small country, to preserve our neutrality and this our striving has never been called to question. I think President Putin has demonstrated that he understands the situation in this region better than many and that he can value the respect Serbia has been demonstrating to Russia," President Vucic said.

He also pledged that this order will have a special place among his other awards. "This order has a tremendous importance as it obliges me and Serbia not to against Russia, to be a friend to Russia, in both good and bad times," he stressed.