Serbia's Pres stresses vital importance of relations with Russia 07.09.2007, 00.58
BELGRADE, September 7 (Itar-Tass) - Relations with Russia have always had special significance for the Serbs throughout Serbia's history, Serbian President Boris Tadic said in an interview with Itar-Tass here Thursday. "Russia has been a friendly country for Serbia over centuries," he said. "Even in the most knotty situations, Russia always defended Serbia's positions and Serbia defended Russia's." "I'm confident full mutual understanding exists between our two countries today as regards all aspects of the political situation -- in Eastern Europe or in the Balkans or in all other global affairs," Tadic said. "Since we maintain very close relations with Russia , I hope they'll continue developing in the future, too," he indicated. He recalled the decades-long dynamic development of cultural contacts, saying that Serbia displayed a very respectful treatment of Russian cultural heritage. "In all periods of our history, Serbian theaters would stage works of Russia playwrights, and as for literature, we believe Chekhov, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoi are as much our national authors, too," Tadic said. "I really love Dostoyevsky and I'll always read Bulgakov /20th century Russian classic -- Itar-Tass/," he said. "My peers /Tadic was born in 1958/ also have their own literary preferences." His wife and daughter have Russian first names and this fact is not at all accidental, he said. "The use of Russian names is a tradition to us Serbs, and Russian names dominate in our family," Tadic said. "My father's name is Lyubomir and my sister is Vera, or Verochka. I'm probably the only president in the world whose family has this tradition." When a correspondent asked him about what should be done to return the commodities of Serbian manufacture, once hugely popular in the former USSR, to the stores in Russia, Tadic said it might make sense to organize a new 'Serbian corner' in Moscow or in some other big Russian city. "Serbia must be present in Russia not only in the form of its culture or science but also in the form of its commodities because this is very important," Tadic said. "I'm sure our Russian friends will always be the most welcome guests in Serbia and in Belgrade," he indicated. "Just call into any Serbian restaurant that has a band. You'll surely here it play some Russian songs, while the Serb visitors will surely sing them loudly. I think many Russians have a comfortable feeling in Belgrade." http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11849778&PageNum=0
