BELGRADE, October 20. /TASS/. Historic events must not become the subject for political bargaining and manipulations, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said after talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
"No one is against science, the historical science, no one minds different points of view. But there are some pages [in history] that are truly black, while others are white. All of this must not become a subject for political bargaining, manipulations. This is completely true for events like the liberation of Belgrade, the victory in World War II," he said.
Medvedev’s visit to Belgrade coincided with celebrations of the 75th anniversary of liberation of Belgrade.
"I’m very glad that I’m spending this special day among friends," he continued. "There aren’t many countries, whom we, at least in Russia, can describe as our friends, not just friends but friends who share our vision of history. History is a controversial matter: people like to rewrite it. Sometimes this takes ugly shapes, especially as far as events that should be undisputable are concerned."
In a joint statement with Medvedev, Vucic said Russia and Serbia jointly counter attempts to falsify history.
"Thank you very much for being in Belgrade today, this is an honor for us that you joined our celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Belgrade’s liberation from Nazis. Our two nations suffered terrible losses in World War II, and now we are a force that fights against falsification of history, against an alternative interpretation of what had happened," Vucic said.
"Your visit proves that history will not be distorted, and we will always pay deepest respect to Russian and Serbian heroes," the Serbian leader added.
According to Vucic, "our relations are possibly at their highest level in the past decades."
"In our relations, we can always count on Russia," he added.