Putin calls for Balkans calm during Serbia trip
AFP-Jiji BELGRADE (AFP-Jiji) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for stability in the Balkans during a pageantry-filled visit to Serbia, a key Moscow ally.
After arriving to a rousing red-carpet welcome in Belgrade, Putin said he would back efforts to maintain calm in the region, a day after accusing the West of destabilizing the Balkans through efforts to boost NATO membership.
“Russia, like Serbia, is interested in the situation in the Balkans remaining stable and not dangerous,” Putin told reporters at a joint news conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Although Serbia and all of its neighbors aspire to join the European Union, Belgrade has maintained close ties with Russia, its historical “Orthodox big brother” whose people also share Slavic origins.
The affection for Moscow is fanned by its unyielding support on the emotive issue of Kosovo, a former Serbian province that broke away in a 1998-99 guerrilla war.
Serbia has never accepted the split, and Russia similarly rejects it, wielding its veto power at the United Nations to thwart Kosovo’s dreams of joining.
Vucic expressed gratitude for Russia’s backing on Kosovo and presented Putin with a puppy of the Sarplaninac breed, a shepherd dog from the region, during the visit.
Meanwhile, Putin awarded his counterpart with a Russian state honor.
The Russian president’s visit was celebrated on the streets by tens of thousands of Serbs who marched through the capital in a parade supporting the two leaders.
“Welcome honored President Putin, dear friend,” read one of many billboards around the city bearing a mix of Russian and Serbian flags.
The parade culminated at the massive St. Sava church, one of Orthodox Christianity’s largest houses of worship, where more than 120,000 people gathered, according to police.
Serbian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Irinej welcomed Putin as church bells rang out.
rest at link
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005487105