Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov canceled his visit to Serbia today (6th) after authorities in Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro blocked the Russian plane from airspace. For Moscow, the incident is “another closed channel of communication”.
The head of Russian diplomacy was due to meet in the next few hours in Belgrade with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. However, the plane that would transport him to Serbia did not receive the green light to cross the airspaces of the three countries, the Serbian newspaper reported. Vecernje Novosti.
Serbs and Russians maintain close relations – based on historical and cultural ties. Moscow has, for example, been Belgrade’s mainstay within the United Nations Security Council, by blocking full recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
Ties are also commercial. The Serbian economy is completely dependent on Russian oil and gas.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted the European Union to close airspace to Russian airlines.
Re-elected to a second term in April, the Serbian president accused Ukraine and a member of the European Union, which he declined to name, of orchestrating a series of false bomb threats against Air Serbia planes. An accusation that Kiev called “baseless”.
Vučić appears as the face of a country torn between the EU candidacy and the traditional alliance with Moscow In May, the Serbian president agreed with Vladimir Putin to continue the supply of Russian natural gas to the country.
