BELGRADE, May 7./TASS/. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has thanked Russia and President Vladimir Putin for assistance in combating Covid-19 and congratulated the Russian leader on the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. President Vucic handed over a telegram of congratulations to Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko on Thursday, the press service of the Serbian leader revealed.

"Victory Day is one of the happiest dates in the history of mankind and a symbol of the unwavering free spirit of our forefathers. It is an honor for me that our peoples had withstood these hardships together in a noble mission to liberate the world from the preeminent evil of the 20th century," the president said in the telegram.

"Serbia and Russia are once again engaged in a fight, but this time against an invisible enemy, the coronavirus, which knows no borders. I want to thank you for showing Serbia care during these hard times for your country, thank you for humanitarian and state solidarity, illustrated by the generous assistance to Serbia by specialists from the Russian Armed Forces," the telegram stressed.

"For us, this is a confirmation of your personal attitude towards Serbia as well as the confirmation of the special relations and the extremely close friendship between our countries. Our relations are based on respect, understanding, and mutual support, which is confirmed by Russia’s active backing for Serbia’s territorial integrity, for which we are sincerely grateful," President Vucic stressed in the telegram.

He also extended condolences to the families who had lost their loved ones to the coronavirus pandemic and wished a speedy recovery to Covid-19 patients.

Vucic and Botsan-Kharchenko discussed bilateral relations between Serbia and Russia, and both hope that the circumstances would soon make it possible to exchange top-level visits.

Serbia has reported 9,791 coronavirus cases since the epidemic hit the country, along with 203 fatalities.

On Thursday, Serbia lifted the state of emergency and canceled the curfew, it had imposed earlier this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Public service vehicles are operating once again, and cafes and restaurants have reopened. Shopping centers will reopen on May 8, and plans are in store to restart flights from May 18.

The parliament also lifted restrictions on movement for urban residents aged 65 or over and rural residents aged 70 or older, who were earlier prohibited from leaving their homes.

The ban on public gatherings will remain in place, while schoolchildren will continue studying remotely. Theaters and cinemas will be closed, but parks will be open for individual walks.

Earlier, Serbia requested Russia’s assistance in its battle against Covid-19. On April 3-4, the Russian Aerospace Forces airlifted a group of military servicemen to Serbia, which in particular, included infectious disease experts, and delivered special medical equipment. The Russian teams disinfected 156 facilities in 30 Serbian cities and towns and assisted in the treatment of over 780 coronavirus patients.