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Russia hopes Serbia stands by national interests, not West's lies — SVR chief

"We will not interfere and will respect whatever choice they make," Sergey Naryshkin added

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russia will respect any choice Serbia makes in its European affairs but hopes its decisions will be based on national interests rather than Western lies, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin told TASS in an interview.

"The choice belongs to the people and the political leadership. I expect Serbia’s leaders to make their decision based on the long-term strategic interests of the Serbian people, our brotherly nation, rather than on the promises and lies of the West," Naryshkin said.

"We will not interfere and will respect whatever choice they make," he added.

Naryshkin also said that the West has not abandoned plans for a Maidan-style uprising in Serbia and is putting pressure on the country’s political leadership.

"The West has not given up on these plans. The focus has now shifted to pressuring Serbia’s leadership. The West is very intensively urging Serbia’s politicians to make a so-called civilizational choice. This means abandoning friendly, or even any, relations with Russia, severing historical and fraternal ties with it, which will supposedly open the way for Serbia to join the ‘happy’ European Union," he explained.

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Foreign policy Serbia

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