“Serbia is resolved to continue to consistently and adamantly uphold the fundamental principles of international relations, responsibly develop cooperation across the board with all of our friends, among which the Russian Federation takes pride of place, as well as interested partners. I would like to stress that, in the interest of international peace, stability and security, the Republic of Serbia stands for the principled and consistent application of international law which we see as a defence against one-mindedness and chaos, and the tenet of free and equal cooperation on the international scene, without the use of sanctions as an instrument of coercion. To that end, I would like to stress that the Republic of Serbia has not nor will it ever impose sanctions against the Russian Federation and people”, said Gojkovic.

Gojkovic thanked the Russian Federation for its unswerving principled support in the matter of Kosovo-Metohija.

“The Russian Federation’s support in finding a sustainable and mutually acceptable solution in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is immeasurably important to Serbia. The Russian people are aware both of the principles we stand for and the reality of the world in which we fight for these principles”, said Gojkovic, thanking Russia for its support in opposing the self-declared state of Kosovo’s attempts to join UNESCO, INTERPOL, the World Customs Organisation and other international organizations.

Gojkovic said that Serbia keeps pointing out that the unreduced presence of UNMIK with an unchanged mandate as guarantor of the status neutrality of the international presence in Kosovo-Metohija is vital for the security and building of trust between the communities in Kosovo-Metohija.

“On the other hand, we have to regretfully note that there has been no progress from the other side as regards the establishment of Community of Serb Municipalities. We would like to warn of the unacceptability of Pristina’s one-sided acts, especially the formation of the so-called Kosovo Army contrary to Resolution 1244, regional arrangements and the Brussels Agreement and the imposition of 100% customs fees on goods from Belgrade i.e. violation of CEFTA. The recent adoption of the so-called Genocide Resolution is one more of Pristina’s one-sided moves which blocks the dialogue and continues to divert attention from the real crimes committed by Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija, especially in the Special Court for War Crimes in Kosovo-Metohija. I would also like to inform you that the so-called Kosovo Assembly had passed a Dialogue Platform for the, purportedly, final, inclusive and legally binding agreement for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina which proves that Pristina does not want to continue the dialogue with Belgrade.”

Gojkovic said that the recent violent incursion of Pristina’s special forces into the northern municipalities of Kosovo-Metohija when, it would seem not at all by accident, they savagely beat with the butts of their rifles UNMIK member, Russian national Mikhail Krasnoshchekov, confirms that Pristina, with the support of its mentors, will not drop its intention to use brutal scare tactics to force the Serbian population to leave its century-old hearths for good.

She added that “What is especially worrying is the reaction or rather lack of by the only people with the actual authority in Kosovo-Metohija to maintain the security and safety on its territory”.

Gojkovic praised the development of economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the field of energy production, energy efficiency, use of renewable energy sources, geology and mining. Gojkovic said that Serbia is very interested in being part of the TurkStream project and has started the activities on it, strategically one of the most important projects and a strategic investment into Serbia’s future development.

Gojkovic highlighted the importance of cooperation in the fields of culture, education, science, sport and youth policy saying that it is very important to intensify cooperation in the field of modern art, creative industries and the film industry, mentioning the film “The Balkan Line”, one of the most successful Serbia-Russia cultural projects, as a rightful contender for the event of the year. Gojkovic also thanked Russia for its help in the painting of the interior of St. Sava Temple in Belgrade, which is a firm testament of the friendship and successful cooperation between Serbia and Russia.

The Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin said that the session of the Commission contributes to the strengthening of the two countries’ strategic partnership, grounded in friendship, egalitarian dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation. He reminded the National Assembly Speaker of the series of bilateral agreements signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Serbia which had contributed to the development of cooperation in the fields of industry, digital technology, nuclear energy and agriculture. Volodin agreed with Speaker Gojkovic about the singular importance of the joint energy project.

Volodin also spoke about the importance of advancing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of education and tourism, which the parliamentarians could seriously contribute to.

The Russian State Duma Speaker said that Russia and Serbia’s stance of international affairs has always been fairly similar, including the defence of Serbia’s legitimate interests in the matter of Kosovo-Metohija, stressing that it can only be resolved through dialogue and respecting Resolution 1244.

He said that modern challenges and threats call for new defence architecture on the Eurasian territories and opined that the parliamentarians’ active participation in the 141st IPU Assembly in Belgrade is a good place to seek a solution to the burning global issues.

Volodin also spoke about the new interparliamentary format – meeting of Eurasian parliament speakers.