Russian envoy extols Belgrade for its military, political neutrality

BELGRADE, January 13. /TASS/. Belgrade’s sovereign position on military-political neutrality is worthy of respect in the wake of a joint declaration the European Union and NATO adopted in Brussels earlier this week, said Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko. "I suggest focusing on what Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said when asked by the media to comment on the adoption of a joint EU-NATO declaration in Brussels. The document exposed the EU's true nature in the service of NATO’s goals. It proved that Brussels completely lacks its own political will and that it submits to the ‘hegemon’s’ dictates from across the Atlantic through the alliance’s tools. The sovereign position of Belgrade, who is committed to military-political neutrality, commands respect," the embassy quoted the Russian envoy as saying on its Telegram channel on Thursday. Earlier, Zakharova said the declaration on cooperation inked between the EU and NATO on Tuesday was proof that Brussels was subject to the authority of the North Atlantic Alliance. She laced into "hypocritical" references to international law and the UN Charter in light of the bloc’s aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999, its invasion of Iraq in 2003, and its bombardment of Libya in 2011. Addressing the nation soon after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, Serbian President Alexander Vucic said that though his country supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity, it would not impose any sanctions on Russia. Following a Serbian Security Council meeting, Vucic announced that his country would temporarily abstain from army and police drills with its foreign partners. He said that Serbia viewed Russia and Ukraine as fraternal nations and regretted the developments in Eastern Europe. Belgrade is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Kiev, he added.

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