Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated in Beijing that he held an open and comprehensive discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on key political and economic issues, including Kosovo and Metohija, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and energy cooperation, Politika RS reported.

“Russia firmly defends the position of respecting Serbia’s territorial integrity. Moscow clearly states the destruction and violation of the Brussels Agreement and all other agreements we signed with guarantees from third parties,” Vučić said.

He specified that he and Putin also discussed the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasizing his expectation of continued contacts and meetings between the leadership of Republika Srpska and ministers from the Russian government.

According to him, energy remains a strategic priority for Belgrade. “I asked President Putin for Serbia to receive gas at favorable prices, in larger quantities and with greater flexibility. We need gas not only for industry and households, but also for power plants and district heating plants that produce electricity during the most difficult days,” Vučić said. He recalled that work is underway to expand the “Banatski Dvor” storage facility, as well as to direct part of the quantities to Hungarian facilities. In addition, he announced the construction of an oil pipeline to the Hungarian border, which will provide greater energy stability and diversification of supplies.

The president expressed confidence that a new gas agreement with Russia will be signed by the end of September. “President Putin told me it will be fair for Serbia. I believe we will get a new contract under favorable conditions by the end of the month,” Vučić emphasized. He also announced that a joint session of the intergovernmental committees of the two states is forthcoming, which will deepen economic and energy partnership.

In broader terms, the conversation also covered topics such as culture, sports, and military-technical cooperation, as well as opportunities for building small nuclear power plants. “Serbia is spending more and more, the number of factories and industries is growing, so we must think about the next 20–30 years. In this context, large energy projects are needed,” Vučić noted.

He revealed that Putin placed special emphasis on preserving Serbian independence. “He pointed out to me that some would prefer I were not at the helm of Serbia, but he stressed his respect for the fact that we make our own decisions, and not someone else in our place,” the head of state said.

Aleksandar Vučić is visiting China from September 2 to 4 at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, to attend the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II. | BGNES