Wednesday, 17 April 2019. | |
An exhibition opened at the Serbian Embassy on the occasion of 140 years since the establishment of the Legation of the Principality of Serbia in the Russian Empire |
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![]() "Dear Mr. Borisov, Dear Mr. Timchenko, Distinguished deputies, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for being here with you at this reception marking a very important anniversary – 140 years since the establishment of the Legation of the Principality of Serbia in the Russian Empire.
May I also remind you of the great solidarity shown by the Russian Empire in the early 20th century when Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia, starting World War I. The Russian Empire headed by Nicholas II of Russia entered World War I as a token of solidarity with Serbia. When the Serbian army was compelled to retreat via Albania, and when hundreds of thousands of Serbian soldiers led by King Peter I and Regent Alexander reached the sea waiting for the Allied fleet to transport them to Greece as their lives were in peril, it was Emperor Nicholas II of Russia who addressed letters to his allies in France and Britain requesting that immediate help be provided to Serbia or else he would be forced to take unilateral action as regards the unity of the Allied front. After the October Revolution many Russian immigrants found home in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. As we come back to the present, we see that Serbia and Russia are today two brotherly and friendly countries. Such bonds of history can be severed or destroyed by no-one. We are most grateful to the Russian Federation, President Putin and my colleagues the Ministers for their unequivocal support to Serbia, the Serbian people and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia. For its part, Serbia has acted in a responsible way and despite being an EU candidate country has not joined and will not join sanctions being imposed on Russia.
Serbia is willing to continue cooperation at the political and economic levels, but also in culture, education, science or any other field. My counterpart Mr. Lavrov informed me today that the Russian Federation had allocated a further USD 20 million for the demining process in Serbia. He also informed me that Gazprom had secured USD 6 million for further interior works on St. Sava's Church in Belgrade. This is the biggest temple of its kind in our part of Europe and I am very glad that it is a result of joint Serbia-Russia efforts. I hope that we will soon have an opportunity for top-level political meetings. In the days ahead, we are expecting a new meeting between President Vucic and President Putin at the Summit in China. This is very important, as Serbia is willing to work in consultation and act together with Russia regarding the pressures being exerted over Kosovo. Finally, we are most grateful for the support Russia has offered to us in the UN Security Council concerning our territorial integrity. The friendship we first forged centuries ago is an unbreakable one and I would like to thank you once again for all the love and respect you have shown to Serbia and its people. Thank you." |