Vulin received in Moscow by Lavrov to discuss BRICS: Proud that Serbia is not anti-Russian

The Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin, who was sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom, traveled to Russia for an official visit, where he was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov.

Vulin travelled there to strengthen Russian-Serbian relations and spoke about models and mechanisms for building cooperation between Serbia and the BRICS organization, which sees Serbia as an alternative to joining the European Union. BRICS was founded by Russia, India, China and Brazil as a rival to the EU.

During the visit to Vulin, Lavrov expressed his support for the “determined and consistent policy” of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

While expressing his country’s stance towards Russia, Vulin reiterated: “He is proud that Serbia is not part of the anti-Russian hysteria and has not imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation.”

“He thanked Russia and Minister Lavrov for their principled stance on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and their selfless support in the struggle of the Serbian people against the resolution on Srebrenica,” the government of Serbia said in a statement on Vulin’s visit.

“Russia has never conditioned or blackmailed Serbia for its unconditional support and our country under the leadership of President Aleksandar Vucic is grateful for this and does not forget the centuries-old friendship between our two peoples,” Vulin said in Russia.

The Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, organized an official lunch for the Deputy Prime Minister of the Serbian government, Aleksandar Vulin, after the official meeting.

Vulin’s visit once again demonstrates Serbia’s strong ties with Russia despite its official position that it is seeking membership of the European Union. Serbia has made no attempt to join the West in sanctioning Russia for its aggression in Ukraine, which began in 2022.

Vulin was sanctioned for his links to Russia, but this did not stop President Vučić from rewarding him with a top government post. Since his election as Serbia’s deputy prime minister, Vulin has traveled to Moscow twice to maintain close ties with Russia.

Serbia has vowed not to impose sanctions on Russia and has continued to trade despite many Western countries severing trade ties to weaken Russia’s ability to fight in Ukraine. /The Geopost/