BELGRADE, June 17. /ITAR-TASS/. Serbian President Tomoslav Nikolic has pledged that his country would do nothing that might put at risk good relations with Russia.

“Cooperation with Russia opens up big possibilities for Serbia’s prosperity and better life of its citizens, and everybody knows that,” Nikolic said at a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday. He said no one in Serbia would be against such cooperation. “It is recognized in the European Union, of which our country wants to be a full-fledged member, that is why it is showing more understanding regarding Serbia’s special position in respect of Russia,” he said.

The Serbian president noted that his country was closely watching the developments in Ukraine and said he hoped the crisis could be settled peacefully.

The Russian foreign minister, in turn, said that one of the indicators of the improvements in bilateral relations was the fact that trade between the two countries had increased by 15% in the past year only. He said he hoped that a joint intergovernmental commission tasked to solve possible problems in joint projects would soon start to work. Nikolic and Lavrov agreed that the South Stream gas pipeline project was very important for Serbia and for the entire Europe.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to visit Belgrade in October 2014, when the city will mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi, the press service of the Serbian head of state said on Tuesday.

Nikolic handed over the invitation to visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said he was sure the Russian leader would accept this invitation.