MOSCOW: The Kremlin paid tribute to its longstanding Serbian ally Aleksandar Vucic on Monday after a student-backed protest movement pulverised his party in a parliamentary election, robbing Moscow of another important partner in Europe six months after the electoral defeat of ally Viktor Orban in Hungary.
Serbia woke to a new era on Monday after Vucic, a frequent visitor to Moscow and in Serbian politics as prime minister or president since 2014, was humbled at the ballot box in a result that sparked nationwide celebrations, although few had an idea of how the Balkan country's new student-backed leaders would govern.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had taken note of the result, lavished praise on Vucic, and said he hoped Serbia's new rulers realised that cooperation with Russia, traditionally a vital supplier of energy to Serbia, was in their own country's interests. "We greatly appreciate the contribution that Mr Vucic has made to the development of our bilateral relations. We are aware that Mr Vucic will remain active in politics, and we hope that, even while in opposition, he will continue to contribute to the development of our bilateral relations," Peskov told reporters. — Reuters
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