Vucic receives Cypriot defence minister

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Cypriot Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas in Belgrade on Tuesday to discuss strengthening of bilateral cooperation, especially in defence and security, which he said was enormously significant for contributing to peace and stability in the region.

"I especially informed the esteemed discussion partner of the situation in Kosovo-Metohija, the pressure faced by the Serbs and the threats to their survival in their ancestral homes. We also exchanged views on current security risks in the context of the most recent geopolitical tensions and conflicts in several key regions, as well as on joint objectives within international missions," Vucic wrote in a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram account.

Vucic reiterated his gratitude for Cyprus's consistent and principled position of non-recognition of the so-called Kosovo and noted that Serbia fully supported Cyprus's efforts to solve its most important national issue in order to preserve its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

"I expressed the hope I will soon have an opportunity to host a great friend of Serbia, President Nikos Christodoulides, in Belgrade again, as the relations between Serbia and Cyprus are based on firm friendship, mutual trust, historically proven closeness and solidarity between our peoples," Vucic wrote in the post.