MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. Each of the peoples of Eurasia cherishes its own national values and history, yet their roots are closely intertwined, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the Eurasia - Territory of Traditional Values forum, a TASS correspondent reported.
Speaking to journalists, he also said the European Union is trying to force Serbia to choose between continuing cooperation with Russia and pursuing EU membership.
TASS has compiled his key statements.
EU ultimatum to Serbia
The European Union is attempting to present Serbia with a choice between maintaining cooperation with Russia and pursuing EU membership: "In this case, we see demands aimed at turning Serbia against Russia. In other words, they are saying: you can continue to pursue EU membership and a certain level of integration with the European Union, but on one condition — you must sever all ties with Russia, join the sanctions, and so on. Or you can maintain friendly, pragmatic relations with Russia, but then you must forget about your European prospects."
From Russia’s perspective, this approach is "extremely wrong," because every country has the right to develop balanced relations in multiple directions: "Those who impose such antagonistic conditions are wrong, because any country can develop its relations with all other states in all directions in a balanced manner. And it does so in its own interests."
Moscow is confident that Belgrade will continue to act based on its national interests despite EU pressure: "We have no doubt that the Serbs will firmly follow their national interests throughout this complex situation."
Russia has always maintained that "every country should take a sovereign stance and be guided by its national interests."
Unique peoples of Eurasia
Eurasia is a unique region where "hundreds, perhaps thousands, of peoples and ethnic groups have lived together throughout history."
Each of these peoples preserves its own values and history, yet their roots remain closely interconnected: "And now, each of these peoples cherishes its own national values. Each of these peoples wants to be independent; each of these peoples cherishes its own history, but the roots of all these peoples are very, very closely intertwined."
Values cannot exist in isolation, otherwise "they lose their strength." "To ensure that this strength is never lost, we must all work together. The work being done across Eurasia is a vital component of the collective efforts our nations are making to preserve these traditional values."
Key to success in Eurasian cooperation
Traditional values are rooted in the past but oriented toward the future and must continue to evolve: "Traditional values are rooted in our heritage, in the past, but they are about the future, and they must continue to evolve."
Cooperation across Eurasia is key to a stable future: "Let’s continue to work together, make our future bright, look to the future, be confident in our future, and see ourselves together in that future, not apart. Apart, we are very weak and very vulnerable. But when we are together, we can achieve a great deal, virtually anything."