Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Prime Minister Kostunica on official visit to Russia

Belgrade, 2 June 2004

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation on June 2 and 3, at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. On the eve of the visit, Kostunica gave an interview to the Russian news agency Interfax. The official web site of the Serbian government brings the full text of the interview:

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica

How is the present level of cooperation with Russia rated in Belgrade? What is your view of problems and prospects of these relations?

I can say with pleasure that political relations of the state union of Serbia-Montenegro and Russia are not only good, but close and friendly. The long tradition of our friendly relations is a significant ground for development of all-round cooperation, and I am assured that we have prospects for even better economic and cultural cooperation. One of the top priorities for Serbia-Montenegro is opening new economic prospects in cooperation with Russia. That is the reason of increasingly frequent meetings of representatives of the two countries.

What is the state of Serbia's economy at the moment? To which extent is Serbia interested in expanding economic ties with Russia, and in which areas?

I must say that industrial production in Serbia is growing and the expected growth of agricultural production is approximately ten percent. This year we expect a considerable drop in budgetary deficit and a six percent growth in GDP. The Serbian government pays special attention to improving legal environment and legal security as most important prerequisites for attracting foreign investment. I have already said that strengthening of economic cooperation with Russia is one of our top priorities. That is why it is important that Russian firms participate in the privatisation of our companies, and to expand cooperation in engineering industry, textile industry, leather and footwear, agriculture, energy, construction industries and pharmacy. I am convinced that there is a good will on both sides to strengthen economic cooperation and we will jointly work on the realisation of that goal.