EU chief Ursula von der Leyen cancelled talks with Serbia’s Prime Minister Milos Vucevic on Friday because of his earlier meeting with a Russian minister, the EU’s ambassador said.
“We cancelled the meeting … following the prime minister meeting with the minister of economy of the Russian federation,” the EU’s ambassador in Belgrade, Emanuele Giaufret, told AFP.
Vucevic had met earlier with Maxim Reshetnikov, Russia’s Minister of Economic Development.
Giaufret said that according to a statement published on the Serbian government’s website, that he said was later removed, there was an “indication of Serbia’s intention to strengthen economic relations in other areas with the Russian Federation”.
“In that light the president of the Commission felt that there were no reasons to hold the meeting with the prime minister”, he added.
The statement, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, said that Vucevic spoke with Reshetnikov and a Russian delegation, about the “further strengthening of economic and overall cooperation between the two countries”.
Von der Leyen had arrived in Belgrade earlier Friday as part of a tour of six Balkan nations, and duly met with President Aleksandar Vucic.
Serbia, which aspires to join the European Union, has maintained friendly ties with Russia and has refused to sanction Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
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