Russian patriarch appeals for more help for Serbia

Russian patriarch appeals for more help for Serbia

"I wish to send special words to our Serb brothers, and even to Russians on the occasion of this terrible cataclysm that has impacted the Serb people and Serbia. Enormous floods have already taken dozens of human lives. Houses and roads are destroyed, many people lost all they had. These floods remind us of the tragedy of Krymsk. I remember how our people responded to that tragedy by helping others cope with the misfortune and heal their wounds," the Radio Voice of Russia reported the patriarch as saying.

"I wish to express my condolences to all those who lost their loved ones, those close to them, to offer words of comfort and support. I am certain that you, dear brothers and sisters, have the strength to stand up to the water disaster, that you have the strength to recover the peaceful living conditions. We will pray for you and work along with you, so that you may forget the consequences of this terrible calamity as soon as possible," Kirill said.

The Russian Orthodox Church office in Belgrade and the Patriarchate of Moscow have started collecting aid and organizing assistance to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Serb people, he stated and called on everyone to help the Serbian population, according to RIA Novosti.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the country has so far airlifted over 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Serbia and has a rescue squad of the Emergency Situations Ministry deployed in the country, in response to a request of the Serbian authorities.

The Niš-based Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center is also playing an important role, said a statement that the Russian embassy in Belgrade forwarded to Tanjug.

It is with great concern that Russia is following the developments in Serbia and a very difficult humanitarian situation that arose in the country due to the natural disaster, the statement noted.

"Since numerous Russian citizens want to join the relief efforts and help Serbia overcome the consequences of the natural disaster, we are informing individuals and organizations that the Serbian embassy in Moscow is coordinating the collection and reception of humanitarian aid," the ministry noted.