Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (L) shakes hands with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, Oct. 19, 2019. Russia will continue to develop joint energy and infrastructure projects with Serbia, Dmitry Medvedev told reporters here on Saturday, stressing the importance of further deepening bilateral economic ties. (Photo by Predrag Milosavljevic/Xinhua)
BELGRADE, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russia will continue to develop joint energy and infrastructure projects with Serbia, visiting Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told reporters here on Saturday, stressing the importance of further deepening bilateral economic ties.
"We are witnessing great and serious documents signed today in the field of railway, technology, science, construction of medical research institutes and all of this leads us into the future," Medvedev said after a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, pointing out that the agreements display mutual trust between Serbia and Russia.
He also highlighted infrastructure as the "lifeblood" of economic cooperation between the two countries, especially the reconstruction of railway infrastructure.
Medvedev assured his hosts that the gas pipeline known as the TurkStream, which is projected to supply natural gas across the Black Sea, Bulgaria and Serbia, to Hungary and further north, will be fully realized and help boost employment and budget revenue.
Vucic emphasized the growing trade between Serbia and Russia. In the first eight months of this year, bilateral trade amounted to around 2.2 billion euros (about 2.45 billion U.S. dollars), up almost 8 percent year-on-year, Vucic said.
Vucic voiced his satisfaction with the upcoming free trade agreement between Serbia and the Eurasian Economic Union, which aims to further expand the trade potential between Serbia and Russia and will be signed next week.
Medvedev's one-day official visit to Serbia was to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Serbian capital from Nazi occupation in World War II.
The prime minister also attended the Serbian military show "Freedom 2019" and a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the joint victory of Yugoslavian People's Liberation Army and Soviet Union's Red Army on Oct. 20, 1944.
