VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. Serbia wants to work with Russia and its people and seeks to further strengthen ties, Aleksandar Vulin, leader of Serbia’s Movement of Socialists and chairman of the supervisory board of state-owned gas company Srbijagas, told TASS on the sidelines of the forum.

"We want to work with Russia because, you know, one of the reasons clearly has to do with the economy. However, another reason why we like and want to work with Russia is that when we work with Russians, we only discuss economic issues, rather than political ones," he said.

According to Vulin, Europeans always try to bring political aspects into economic issues. "As for Russia, it always focuses solely on business, or, I dare say, on more than just business. Because when we work with the Russian government and Russian companies, we are always in a far better position. Some may say that there is no brotherhood when it comes to the economy, but with Russians, that is truly the case," he added.

The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is taking place in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on September 1-4. The main theme of the 2026 event is "The Far East: Development for the Benefit of People." The forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Russian government. TASS is the event’s general media partner.