Serbia one of Russia’s key partners, says senator

BELGRADE, May 11. /TASS/: Serbia is one of Russia’s key partners in Europe and in the world, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council's (upper house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev stated on Saturday in an interview with Serbia’s RTS channel.

"We have a great deal of common interests. We both have the same stance on the necessity of maintaining the UN’s role and respecting international law. We have huge projects in the sphere of gas, nuclear energy, healthcare, education, agriculture. We are very interesting partners for each other. That is why Serbia is one of our key, most interesting partners in Europe and in a more global context," Kosachev said.

The Russian senator also noted the particular relevance of Victory Day in Serbia. On May 9, Kosachev took part in the Immortal Regiment demonstrations in Belgrade, attended by over 10,000 people.

The ‘Immortal Regiment’ march is an annual event held throughout Russia and in other countries. The event is dedicated to the victory in Great Patriotic War (or WWII) that claimed lives of about 28 million Soviet people, both soldiers and civilians. During the march, people carry portraits of their relatives who fought or died during the war.

The idea was born in the Russian Siberian city of Tyumen in 2007 and the march was called the Victors’ Parade. In 2012, another Siberian city of Tomsk picked up the torch renaming the rally as ‘Immortal Regiment.’ The next year, about 120 cities joined in. A year later, people carried portraits of their relatives, who fought during WWII, in 500 cities in seven countries. Since 2015, the ‘Immortal Regiment’ march has become a nationwide event.