President reiterates neutral stance on Ukraine

BELGRADE — President Tomislav Nikolić has conferred with Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Chepurin “and restated Serbia’s neutral position on the situation in Ukraine.”

Chepurin noted during the meeting held on Thursday that Russia “appreciates the friendship and the principled stance of Serbia.”

“Our sincere and firm friendship with the Russian Federation and my personal respect for President Putin is not brought into question,” emphasized Nikolić, and expressed hope that the situation will be resolved peacefully through dialogue and compromise.

“Russia has taken a resolute stance to protect its people and its interest, and I believe that it should remain on the path of resolving the issue diplomatically through dialogue,” stressed Nikolić.

Chepurin conveyed to the Serbian president a message from Putin, who pointed to the difficult situation of the Ukrainian economy and called upon the European partners to conduct urgent consultations at the level of economy, finance and energy ministers in order to propose harmonized measures intended to stabilize Ukraine’s economy and ensure the supply and transit of the Russian gas in accordance with the signed agreements.

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