Vladimir Putin arrives in Belgrade

Vladimir Putin arrives in Belgrade

Immediately after arriving in Belgrade, Putin placed wreaths at the Monument to the Liberators of Belgrade and the Red Army Monument.

He was then welcomed in an official ceremony in front of the Palace of Serbia.

Nkolić and Putin signed the guest book at the Cemetery of the Liberators of Belgrade.

“The flag of liberated Belgrade and Serbia that you raised on October 20, 1944 is still firmly kept in our grateful hands,” Nikolić wrote in the guest book.

"We will cherish forever the memories of the Soviet and Yugoslav warriors who gave their life for peace in Europe. All this, and the feat that brought us closer to our common great victory, is kept in our memory. We adore their heroism and self-sacrifice," Putin wrote.

The Russian president has held separate talks with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić. Putin has also been decorated by Nikolić with the Order of the Republic of Serbia.

The signing of several agreements has also been announced.

After the talks, Vučić and Putin will address the media.

On the occasion of Putin's visit Nikolić on Wednesday met with Russian Ambassador Alexander Chepurin. They stressed the great importance of the visit to further development of relations between Serbia and Russia, while Nikolić said that the visit will be extremely useful, as it will result in the signing of several important bilateral agreements.

In addition, the talks will cover joint projects implemented by Serbian and Russian companies, as well as the prospects for future cooperation, said the presidential press service.

Vučić spoke for Russian media this week to say that he would discuss concrete topics with Putin, primarily regarding economic cooperation and further development of mutual ties in the energy and agriculture.

The Russian delegation will include Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller, chief of the Federal Customs Service Andrei Belyaninov, Minister for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Vladimir Puchkov, and Head of the Federal Migration Service Konstantin Romodanovski, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov has announced.

According to him, the signing of a package of nine documents is planned, including on cooperation in the sphere of military-technical cooperation, energy and rail transport.

Ushakov said that the Russian side intends to reopen the issue of taxation of the Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS), which is majority owned by Gazprom Neft.

One of the topics will be the South Stream pipeline project.

Announcing the visit, the Russian ambassador in Belgrade told Tanjug that it has three main elements, of which the most important was to transform the friendly relations between the two nations, but also the political relations, into economic, scientific and cultural cooperation.

This will be Putin's third visit to Belgrade - he was here first in 2001 as head of state, and again ten years later as prime minister.

Putin met with Nikolić five times since mid-2012, and with Vučić in July this year.

Putin's visit will take place under the watchful eye of observers in the country and abroad.

Serbia is the only candidate for EU membership which has not imposed sanctions against Russia and the West "expects Belgrade to choose sides in a more clear manner when it comes to the Ukrainian crisis, that is to desist from insisting on a balanced stance," Tanjug said.

Brussels, Berlin, Washington, who are in a kind of a new cold war with Moscow, officially say that they have no problem with Putin's visit to Belgrade, the agency added.

Informally, however, warnings can be heard that the EU views with growing concern "the increasing Russian influence, not only in Serbia but also in other countries of the Western Balkans."

Nearly 1,000 journalists from Serbia and abroad have been accredited to report today's events in Belgrade.