Conflicts & War

Russia’s Lavrov slams airspace closure that scuppered Serbia visit

Moscow, Jun 6 (EFE).- Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday slammed the decision by Serbia’s neighboring countries to close their airspace and prevent his visit to Belgrade as outrageous.

Earlier in the day, Serbia’s newly re-elected president Aleksandar Vucic confirmed a planned visit by Lavrov had been canceled. Although he did not specify a reason, it followed the decision by Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro to close their airspace to Lavrov’s plane.

“If a visit by the Russian foreign minister to Serbia is seen in the West as something approaching a threat on a universal scale, then things in the West are clearly pretty bad,” Lavrov said.

“A sovereign state has been deprived of its right to pursue foreign policy. Serbia’s international activities in the Russian direction have been blocked,” he added.

Serbia, a candidate to join the European Union, is one of the few European countries that has not imposed sanctions against Russia.

Russia and Serbia are long-standing allies with deep historic and cultural ties. EFE

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