BELGRADE, December 15. /TASS/. Joint struggle against a common enemy and for common values and spiritual proximity lays a firm groundwork for cooperation between Russia and Serbia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following talks with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic on Tuesday.
"The program of our visit to Belgrade began with a very solemn ceremony at the cemetery of liberators and the lighting of an Eternal Flame with a particle of the Eternal Flame from the Tomb of the Unknow Soldier in Moscow. Then there followed a visit to the Church of St. Sava. Both ceremonies were held in areas of Belgrade that embody our joint struggle against a common enemy, our joint struggle for defending our values, our spiritual proximity, our culture, our languages and everything else that the term ‘a people’ implies. I believe that this is the most solid groundwork, which will always enable us to cooperate, hear each other and support each other," Lavrov said.
He stressed that Russia and Serbia were unanimous in their approach to the need for the full respect for international law, "and not some rules invented by somebody."
For his part Serbia’s foreign minister said that it was a great honor for him to host Sergey Lavrov, whom he described as the "doyen of world diplomacy."
"We discussed a number of topics on which our opinions often coincide and also signed a plan for consultations between the foreign ministries in the future," Selakovic said. "Our relations are at an exceptionally high level. Our cooperation received a great impetus after President Vladimir Putin’s visit in January 2019. We are linked by kind relations we had in the past. While the graves of guerillas and Red Army soldiers are a symbol of our common struggle against Nazism, the Church of St. Sava is a symbol of our friendship today."
Selakovic thanked Russia for its firm support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia in international organizations.