Dacic: Vital issues for Serbia discussed with Lavrov

MOSCOW - Serbian First Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dacic said on Thursday his discussions with Russian top diplomat Sergey Lavrov had addressed vital issues for Serbia, such as energy and natural gas supplies.

In a press statement from Moscow, Dacic said he had discussed many bilateral affairs with Lavrov and that he had thanked the Russian FM again for his firm and friendly position on Kosovo-Metohija.

"That is vital to us. It is vital to know that we have a secure vote in the (UN) Security Council that will always be against independence of Kosovo-Metohija and that will always support Serbia's territorial integrity," Dacic said.

He noted that Serbia's positions on the Ukraine war, the Gaza conflict, as well as many other topics in the international arena, were well-known.

"We have a series of very specific things where we expect help from Russia. Russia has initiated for Monday a Security Council session on 25 years since the bombing of Serbia," Dacic said.

He said it was uncertain whether the session would be held at all because Western countries did not want it to go ahead.

Dacic also said Serbia was under great pressure to impose sanctions on Russia.

He said it was important to extend a natural gas deal with Russia beyond 2025.