Meeting with Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54109
Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.
March 27, 2017 15:30The Kremlin, Moscow
Bilateral relations were the main subject on the agenda, in particular, developing trade and investment cooperation.
The two leaders also exchanged views on current international and regional issues.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, Mr Prime Minister. It is a great pleasure to see you in Moscow.
Let me say that our common efforts have succeeded in changing the situation in the trade and economic sector for the better, not by much as yet, but nonetheless.
We saw a slight increase of around 2 percent in bilateral trade last year. Your Government’s efforts meant that this increase was mostly thanks to growing exports from Serbia to Russia. Some sectors were leaders in this, agriculture, for example, with an increase of around 40 percent.
We have good joint projects that are developing actively, especially in the energy sector. I am sure we will discuss all of this today.
Of course, we know that Serbia will soon hold presidential elections. We are sure that in today’s Serbia, in today’s conditions, this election will be of the highest standard, and we wish good luck to the current authorities.
No matter how the political situation develops, we are sure that our bilateral relations will continue to develop just as positively, in the spirit of friendship that has characterised our ties over these last years.
Of course, we very much want to discuss with you the situation in the region today, because various outside signs suggest that a degree of escalation is taking place. We would like to discuss all of this with you today.
Welcome.
Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic: Mr President, thank you for the warm reception and for your hospitality.
I want to say that we need to thank you personally and the Russian Federation for supporting the Republic of Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. As you said, I hope and am sure that we will have plenty of opportunities to increase our bilateral trade and economic ties.
We will discuss the situation in the region. I think that this is important for both countries. It is very important that, as you know, we remain committed to our national independence, freedom and military neutrality. We will discuss together all of this and examine the steps we need to take for the future.
Once again, thank you very much for your friendship. I am absolutely certain that we will take our relations to a very high level. Thank you once again for this very warm reception.
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54117
Serbia expects arrival of new Russian companies
http://www.srbija.gov.rs/vesti/vest.php?id=121613
Belgrade/Moscow, 27 March 2017 – Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said today in Moscow that he presented Russian President Vladimir Putin Serbia’s positions on the situation in the region and noted that peace and stability are crucial for our country, and pointed out the challenges that we face and that are ahead of us.
Summarising the talks he had with Putin, Vucic told reporters in the Kremlin that the Russian support to preservation of the territorial integrity of Serbia is crucial, but added that support in other areas, such as the economy, is not less important either.
According to Vucic, they discussed how to work together in the economy and to achieve further increase of trade.
We are expecting the arrival of new Russian companies in Serbia, the Prime Minister said and recalled that during the previous meeting Serbian debt to Gazprom was discussed and now it no longer exists, so we are now discussing politics and concrete cooperation in the future.
Vucic pointed out that Putin, in his introductory remarks, commended the government of Serbia, adding that it is most responsible for increasing trade cooperation between the two countries.
During the meeting, as he explained, they discussed the operations of the Russian State Railways and NIS, which is our largest pillar of the state budget, while the Russian State Railways still has time to meet its obligations.
We talked about the new businesses that need to invest in Serbia, as well as about what ways to further improve cooperation, said the Prime Minister and added that he was surprised how Putin personally knows about so many projects.
I told Putin that Serbia is firm in its military neutrality as it is the matter of freedom and independence of our freedom-loving nation, which the head of the Russian state supported, Vucic said.
He also confirmed that it is the matter of weeks when six Mig 29 aircraft will arrive in Serbia, since it is expected that Putin will soon sign an order for the planes to be quickly transported to our country.
The Prime Minister said that Putin personally approved everything in the field of military-technical cooperation, which had previously been agreed with the Russian competent officials, and relates to 30 armoured vehicles, 30 tanks T32 and six 29 Migs.
I expect the decree to be signed soon so that the planes could arrive to Serbia as soon as possible. Only technical problems remain to be solved – whether the planes will fly over foreign territories or will be transported in parts, Vucic explained.
http://www.srbija.gov.rs/vesti/vest.php?id=121608