A visit to Serbia by the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, has been cancelled as three of Serbia’s neighbours have declined to let his planes use their airspace.
European Union member Bulgaria has imposed the flight ban, along with North Macedonia and Montenegro, nations hoping like Serbia, to join the European Union.
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry has confirmed about the cancellation. Russia’s full-scale military operation against Ukraine has triggered an EU airspace ban.
As per reports, Serbia has remained friendly towards Russia.
Whereas, Serbia has not joined the EU’s wide-ranging sanctions against Russia. The European Union, as well as the United Kingdom, have imposed a blanket flight ban on Russian planes- including the private jets of oligarchs-days after the 24 February invasion.
Like several other European nations, Serbia is almost dependent on Russian gas. Lavrov was to have had talks in Belgrade with President Aleksandar Vucic on 6-7 June.
The Kremlin strongly support Serbia’s refusal to recognise Kosovo’s independence. The NATO bombing campaign against Serbia angered Russia in 1999 during the Kosovo war.
While commenting on the Balkan move to bar Lavrov’s flight, a Russian foreign ministry source has revealed that “our diplomacy has yet to master teleportation.”
During early March, thousands of pro-Russian Serbs marched via Belgrade, showing the nations’ traditionally close relations.