Russia, Serbia sign documents on cooperation

Russia, Serbia sign documents on cooperation

Officials of the Russian Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation and the Serbian Ministry of Defense signed a MoU on cooperation which includes an agreement on mutual protection of intellectual property.

Russian company RZD International and Serbian Railways Infrastructure inked a memorandum on strategic partnership.

Federal Migration Service and Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation signed memorandums on cooperation with the Serbian Interior Ministry, and Russia's Federal Agency for Youth Affairs signed a MoU with the Serbian Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Business forum

Earlier in the day, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic opened the Serbian-Russian business forum of representatives of hundreds of Serbian and Russian companies in Moscow.

According to the Serbian government's website, he said Serbia and Russia have a long history of friendly relations and that that is a good basis for strengthening economic ties.

Vucic recalled that Serbia is one of the few countries that have not introduced economic sanctions against Russia, and said that this will stay the policy of the Serbian government which will not change the political and economic attitude towards that country.

The prime minister underlined that today's business forum shows the great interest of Serbia and the Russian Federation in the development of mutual economic cooperation, adding that this is an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn about the business opportunities in both countries.

The Serbian government wants to support this collaboration. Approximately 1,000 companies that are Russian owned or partly Russian owned operate in Serbia in various fields, and this is a confirmation of the durability of our economic ties, Vucic said.

He recalled that Russia is one of the three most important foreign trade partners of Serbia, and added that the Serbian government gives support to investors and companies wishing to do business in our country.

For Serbia it is important to see how it can attract more Russian investors, but also to have more Serbian investors in the Russian market, Vucic explained.

He reiterated that Serbia is not afraid of hard work, but of instability that may come from the outside, from the region and in other ways, and pointed to the situation in Montenegro, Macedonia and the southern province of Kosovo and Metohija.

In such circumstances, Serbia is very stable, the prime minister underlined.

He said that for Serbia is very important to develop relations in the field of tourism, adding that Serbia will have to invest a lot more in the modernization of spas.

According to Vucic, Serbia wants a joint participation with Russia on third markets, which is why our country has come with offers for the Russian defence industry.

In addition to agricultural cooperation, the Serbian construction industry can also enter the Russian market if the domestic construction companies behave responsibly and seriously, Vucic noted and added that there is interest in cooperation in the export of vehicles.

Vucic, who is on a three-day visit to the RF, also met on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.