16 April 2018

Moscow: Council President Nikolić meets Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin

President of the National Council for Coordination of Cooperation with the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China Tomislav Nikolić had a meeting today in Moscow with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Co-Chair of the Serbia-Russia Intergovernmental Committee on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Rogozin.

Photograph: Office of the National Council

In a very friendly and cordial two-hour meeting, the interlocutors considered the past economic cooperation, while openly discussing possibilities for the enhancement of the two countries’ relations.

Photograph: Office of the National Council

Council President Nikolić emphasized that Serbia was interested in a more prominent presence of Russian capital and in its greater participation in the process of privatization. “Russia must be strategically and economically present in Serbia, we can and we must increase our cooperation”, Mr. Nikolić emphasized, calling on the Russian side to take a more active role in tabling joint projects. “The Russians and the Serbs have been friends for centuries, our political relations are at an extraordinary level. I am putting in my personal efforts to help the economic cooperation rise to that level”, Nikolić highlighted. In his very open conversation with Mr. Rogozin, he also said that the improvement of the Serbian workers’ situation in Russia, and the post-graduation employment opportunities for Serbian students pursuing their education in Russia would be significant steps towards investing in the future of the two countries’ relations.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Rogozin called on Serbian officials to establish more frequent and direct contacts with their Russian counterparts in the interest of improving the Russia-Serbia economic cooperation. Mr. Rogozin agreed with Council President Nikolić that the two countries’ economic cooperation could reach a qualitatively higher level in the future, underlining that he personally endorsed larger participation of Serbian entrepreneurs and Serbian workers in the Russian labour market. He also proposed that Mr. Nikolić should personally take part in steering the work of the Russia-Serbia Business Council.