New era in cooperation between Serbia and Russia - Nikolic and Putin sign strategic partnership declaration

(Tomislav Nikolic and Vladimir Putin)

Serbian and Russian presidents Tomislav Nikolic and Vladimir Putin signed a declaration on strategic partnership in Sochi on Friday, Tanjug news agency has reported.

Putin stated that by signing the declaration the cooperation between Serbia and Russia was raised to a higher level, providing a better quality and an impulse to the development of political relations.

Nikolic underlined that the document confirmed traditionally good and friendly relations between the two countries.

- Today was a great day for Serbia. Serbia has formalized its centuries-long brotherhood with the Russian Federation - Nikolic underlined, adding that the strategic partnership declaration opened up possibilities for the use of the two countries' exceptional potentials.

Putin and Nikolic said at a joint press conference after the meeting that they would continue to implement joint projects and investments, particularly in the energy sector.

President Putin voiced his belief that Friday's meeting, the third in a row since Nikolic assumed the office of Serbia's president, was important for the development of Serbian-Russian relations, adding that each of the meetings was a step forward.

He noted that Russia took a principled position not to recognize Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence.

We support a mutually acceptable solution based on Resolution 1244, and of course we support Serbian friends conducting the Brussels-brokered talks with Prishtina, the Russian president said.

The Serbian president said that Russia's support in resolving the Kosovo-related problems was very important, particularly the Russian stand that what was good for Serbia was also good for Russia.

Serbia has put a lot of effort into solving the Kosovo issue by raising the level of negotiations to its highest and adopting parliament resolutions regarding the talks, he pointed out.

- Signing the Brussels agreement and implementing it is in the interest of both sides and will contribute to peace and stability in the whole region. We expect (Russia's) support in solving the Kosovo issue to continue - he noted.

Commenting on the economic cooperation, Putin said the Serbian section of the South Stream pipeline would be put in operation by the year's end, adding that Russia would invest USD 1.7 billion in that project.

Serbia and Russia are working together in Serbia's largest oil company, in which Russia has invested EUR 1.5 billion, and Putin said he had informed Nikolic that the Russian company was ready to invest another EUR 1.5 billion.

He also mentioned Russian loans to Serbia in the amount of USD 500 million and USD 800 million as well as symbolic assistance in renovating Serbian religious sites in Kosovo.

The trade between the two countries dropped last year, but it went up by 30 percent in the first quarter of this year, he said.

Serbia puts great importance on the implementation of the South Stream project, and has adopted a special law to declare that the project holds particular national significance, Nikolic stated.

Serbia is very interested in improving economic cooperation, he said, adding that he saw particular opportunities in agriculture.

Nikolic listed areas where cooperation will be improved thanks to the declaration, like counter-terrorism, fight against organized crime, drugs, emergency situations, social and economic underdevelopment and poverty.