ON RUSSIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IGOR IVANOV'S VISIT TO SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

Unofficial translation from Russian

PRESS RELEASE

On September 10-12, as part of a working trip to the Balkan region, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Igor Ivanov visited Serbia and Montenegro.

Talks took place in Belgrade between the head of the Russian foreign affairs agency, and Serbia and Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic, Speaker of the Serbia-Montenegro Parliament Dragoljub Micunovic, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic, S&M Minister of Foreign Affairs Goran Svilanovic, and Nebojsa Covic, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Coordination Center for Kosovo.

In Montenegro Ivanov had separate meetings with Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, and the republic's Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic.

The talks have demonstrated the political will to promote a substantive and open political dialogue between Russia and S&M on a stable and long-term basis and to help the expansion of cooperation in all areas. The similarity of the two countries' approaches to key world and regional problems was noted. The invariability of the position of Russia in favor of the full-fledged development of the integral state community of Serbia and Montenegro as an important factor of continuing democratic reforms in the country and of ensuring stability in the Balkans was also underscored.

The Foreign Ministers of Russia and S&M signed a Protocol of Consultations between the foreign affairs agencies of the two countries for 2004.

Special attention was devoted to the state of, and prospects for trade-and-economic cooperation, and the significance of the LUKoil-won tender for the privatization of Beopetrol for the enlistment of Russian business in key areas of Serbia's economy was emphasized.

In their discussion of Kosovo themes, the sides noted the necessity of consistently implementing the principles for settlement in full, as agreed upon by the international community, on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and the importance of the early commencement of a direct dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on practical aspects of the normalization of life in the province.

The thorough exchange of views that took place in the course of Ivanov's visit has borne out the sides' common disposition to further improve our bilateral relations and cooperation between the Russian Federation and Serbia and Montenegro.

September 13, 2003