The Deputy Speaker praised the high regard in which both the state and people of Serbia hold the traditional friendship with Russia.

“This is also reflected in the National Assembly as evidenced by its 134-strong PFG with Russia – the biggest in the institution. The high-level cooperation between the two parliaments is also highlighted by the work of the Russian State Duma - National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Cooperation Commission and the mutual support of the Russian and Serbian delegations to international organizations. I must also stress how pleased I am to see the Russian delegation return to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which our delegation advocated”, said Deputy Speaker Milicevic. He opined that the presidents of Russia and Serbia, Vladimir Putin and Aleksandar Vucic, especially contribute to the exceptional cooperation between the two countries.

Milicevic thanked Russia for its principled stance that Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty must be preserved and that the self-declared state of Kosovo cannot become a member of international organizations. He also thanked Russia for its support for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue as the way to come to a mutually acceptable and satisfactory solution.

The National Assembly Deputy Speaker said that Russia will always have a true friend in Serbia, one that will never impose sanctions against the Russian state and people.

The Vice-Chairperson of the Russian Federation Youth Parliament under the State Duma Elena Eraklina agreed with Deputy Speaker Milicevic that the two countries share a friendly relationship and that their people share the ties of history, religion, culture and closely-related languages. She stressed that the cooperation between the two parliaments needs to be maintained and deepened which could in future be done through youth parliaments, stressing the importance of setting up such an organization in Serbia. Eraklina said that the Russian Youth Parliament has been around for 18 years and is a preparation of kind for young people with mind of entering the Duma and politics. It helps young people network, exchange experiences, learn about one another’s culture and tradition and build the relationship between countries.

Milicevic spoke about the Fund for Young Talents which is providing scholarships and grants for 28,000 young Serbs at the moment. In 2013 Serbia signed a Protocol of Understanding with NIS Gazprom neft based on which almost 100 of the beneficiaries of the Fund for Young Talents became part of the company’s practice and employment programme and over 250 took part in workshops and professional training programmes. He hoped this cooperation would continue to support young talents in their professional training.

Eraklina took the opportunity to invite Deputy Speaker Milicevic to the Parliamentary Sports Games traditionally held every year in Moscow.