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Serbian president says he does not care about reaction to his visit to Moscow

"I was elected by the people of Serbia, not the people from Riga, or Tallin, or Vilnius, or anywhere else," Aleksandar Vucic said

BELGRADE, May 7. /TASS/. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he is ready to take all negative consequences triggered by the European Union’s reaction to his visit to Moscow for Victory Day celebrations.

"I’m here to fight for my people and my country. I absolutely don’t care what anyone else in the world thinks or says. I was elected by the people of Serbia, not the people from Riga, or Tallin, or Vilnius, or anywhere else," he said.

"Honor and dignity is not something you can give or sell. I made my promise to [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin, and I have never lied [to European leaders] about my visit here," he said, adding that he never made secret of his plans to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. "I’m sure that Serbia will remain on the European path. If they want to punish someone, they can punish me."

Vucic said he planned to meet with Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit.

He expects to discuss "all important issues in bilateral relations" with the president of Russia, including gas, railways and political cooperation.