BELGRADE, February 20. /TASS/. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic described the relations between the Russian and Serbian people with a proverb 'a friend in need is a friend indeed.'

Speaking in an exclusive interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov, Vucic said: "In our country, I as a president must always adhere to a rational and pragmatic approach, but the human dignity and the human nature are best appreciated during the hard times."

"It is easy to be a friend during easy times. To remain a friend, to stay honest when it is tough, only in these moments do you show your true face. I believe that Serbia as a small country is more than fair towards the Russian state and the Russian people," Vucic underscored.

"I, as a president, must have a rational approach to understand everything, but I also must understand the emotion that most Serbs have. When I was a kid, my father used to take me to the Russian House [the Russian center for science and culture in Belgrade - TASS], and 'The Humpbacked Horse' was the best animated film I’ve ever seen. I used to visit the Russian poetry and prose nights, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin and Chekhov nights. My daughter Milica finished 11 grades of a Russian school, and in this regard, I am grateful to Russia for the aid in her education and good upbringing. But these are all emotions, and you can set them aside, because my job is to lead the country," the head of state concluded.