BELGRADE, February 9. /TASS/. The high-principled position of the Serbian authorities in rejecting anti-Russian policies allows building relations between Moscow and Belgrade with better opportunities, Russia’s ambassador to Serbia, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, said during a special event on the occasion of Diplomatic Worker's Day (celebrated on February 10).
"We have many challenges in front of us, taking into account the fact that Serbia does not join the sanctions and the anti-Russian course. At the moment we have the best opportunities for cooperation and we are moving forward. We know that we will overcome all difficulties," Botsan-Kharchenko said.
"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my colleagues in Moscow, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all those who are involved in foreign policy at various places, at our embassies, and, of course, my friends and colleagues here at the embassy in Serbia. This date is very important from the historical standpoint. It is especially important now, because, like the whole of Russia, our diplomatic service is now in a very difficult situation, faced with many challenges. But we hope and do everything in order to find the right solutions and to cope with the tasks that the president has set us."
On the occasion of the professional holiday, Botsan-Kharchenko laid wreaths and flowers on the tomb of the Russian Empire’s ambassador in Belgrade, Nicholas Hartwig (1857-1914). The event was attended by staffers of the Russian Center for Science and Culture (Russia House) - in Belgrade, public figures and journalists.
Ambassador Nicholas Hartwig
Ambassador Hartwig was an outstanding Russian diplomat of the early 20th century and one of the architects of the Balkan League, which defeated Turkey. As director of the Asia Department, which among other things was responsible for selecting candidates from the Balkan Slavs for Russian scholarships, he formed a vast circle of "disciples," supporters, admirers and friends in the Slavic lands. Appointed ambassador to Serbia in 1909, Hartwig enjoyed great popularity and love in that country and reciprocated it. He was on friendly terms with Serbian Prime Minister Nikola Pasic and had a great influence on the development of the brotherly state.
The memories of Hartwig's contribution to Serbia-Russia relations are still fresh. In 2017, the Serbian capital's legislature named a street in Belgrade after the Russian diplomat.