Moscow testing Belgrade’s neutrality

During a visit to Belgrade on 15 May 2015, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov confirmed that Serbia was determined to maintain close ties with Russia and supported the building the Turkish Stream gas pipeline.

The confirmation of Serbia’s 'neutrality' in the context of tense relations between Russia and the West over the crisis in Ukraine was, according to Serbian analysts and some of the Russian media, the reason for his visit to Belgrade, just before Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić travelled to the United States in June 2015. Representatives of the European Union had also met with Serbian authorities earlier in the month to strengthen Serbia's EU accession path.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Serbia’s choice: EU membership or Eastern Promises? http://www.europeansources.info/record/serbias-choice-eu-membership-or-eastern-promises/

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