Vulin meets with the head of the secret service in Moscow to strengthen cooperation between Russia and Serbia

The Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin, traveled to Moscow again and met with the Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, Aleksandar Bortnikov, in order to “continue cooperation between the security structures of Serbia and Russia and face common challenges”.

“Aleksandar Vulin emphasized that Serbia is grateful to Russia, the Federal Security Service and Director Bortnikov for the continuous support of Belgrade in all difficult issues,” the Serbian government announced.

On the other hand, the Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation thanked the Deputy Prime Minister of the Serbian Government “for his professionalism and contribution to improving cooperation between the Serbian and Russian services” and pointed out that Russia and Serbia remain a close partner in the field of security.

Vulin had previously spoken with the director of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, about further strengthening cooperation between the security structures of Serbia and Russia.

Vulin, who is on an official visit to the Russian Federation, thanked Director Naryshkin for his “reliable and always dependable partnership and support for Serbia”.

“The efforts of Vice President Vulin, who simultaneously performed the functions of Minister of Defense, Minister of Internal Affairs and Director of the Security and Information Agency, influenced the development of good relations between the Serbian and Russian services,” said Naryshkin.

In addition to his meeting with Naryshkin, Vulin is scheduled to meet with other Russian officials.

Vulin is considered one of the Kremlin’s strongest supporters in the Serbian political landscape. He previously met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, where he reaffirmed Serbia’s status not only as a strategic partner, but also as an ally of Russia.

Earlier this year, Vulin received praise from the Russian President and the Federal Security Service.

Vulin is on the US State Department’s sanctions list because of his links to Russia and allegations of corruption during his tenure as head of the BIA. Nevertheless, the Serbian authorities subsequently gave him the post of deputy prime minister, which he uses to maintain relations with Russia, while the Serbian president and prime minister claim that the European Union is a strategic goal.

Serbia and Russia have a long tradition of close relations. Serbia is one of the few European countries that has refused to impose sanctions on the Kremlin in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine./The Geopost/