Serbia Not To Join the European Anti-Russian Hysteria

Serbia's Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin told Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov that his country will not welcome European sanctions or participate in the current "anti-Russian hysteria".

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"Serbia, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, does not forget the century-old brotherhood with Russia," Vulin said, recalling that his nation is "the only European country that has not introduced sanctions on Russia."

At a meeting in Moscow on Monday, Vulin "deeply" regretted that Lavrov was unable to travel to Belgrade in June due to the decisions taken by "other countries." In this way, he alluded to the sanctions that prevent Russian citizens from traveling easily since almost the entire European airspace is closed to Russian aircraft.

Vulin also met with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandar Fomin, with whom he reaffirmed Serbia's interest in maintaining cooperative relations. Gen. Sergei Shoigu decorated the Serbian minister with a Russian order for his contributions to bilateral defense cooperation.

The recent high-level contacts between Russia and Servia come amid ongoing tensions in Kosovo. On Sunday, Serbian President Vucic said he will use the upcoming 10 days to search for new compromise solutions in a row with Kosovo over car license plates and travel documents.

Vucic, who spoke to the public for the first time after a failed EU-mediated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in Brussels, also warned that Serbia will protect its people from persecution if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) doesn't.

"NATO's obligation is to protect Serbian people in Kosovo... to stop Kosovo Police from crossing the Ibar River," Vucic said, accusing Pristina of destabilizing the situation by using any opportunity to send Kosovo Police into Serbian neighborhoods. "We will protect our people from persecution and pogrom if NATO will not help," he said.