Serbia

BELGRADE, October 14. /TASS/: Russia will give its consent to reinstate flights between Russia and Ukraine if Kiev puts such an initiative forward, Speaker of Russia’s Federation Council (upper chamber) Valentina Matviyenko told reporters.

"We back opportunity for dialogue, particularly through aviation. If Ukraine makes this decision [to resume flights], I am sure we will support it," Matviyenko said answering a TASS question.

BELGRADE, October 14. /TASS/: Russian Federation Council (upper house) Speaker Valentina Matviyenko considers the signing of the agreement on creating a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Serbia scheduled for October 25 to be a serious step forward.

BELGRADE, October 4. /TASS/: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s upcoming visit to Serbia signals expanding Serbian-Russian cooperation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said at a meeting with Russian Ambassador Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko on Friday.

The Serbian president met with the Russian envoy on Friday to discuss preparations for Medvedev’s visit and joint celebration of the 75th anniversary of Belgrade’s liberation during World War II.

BELGRADE, September 15. /TASS/: The North Atlantic Alliance has been pushing for Serbia’s accession since this would justify all NATO’s atrocities in the country, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko said in an interview with Serbian daily Politika published on Sunday.

BELGRADE, Aug 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Serbian government has granted citizenship to Thailand’s former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who fled her homeland in 2017 to avoid negligence charges.

Shinawatra, 52, went to Dubai and joined her brother Thaksin, another former Thai prime minister who also fled in 2006 to avoid a prison sentence for corruption.

The Serbian government decided to grant Yingluck citizenship on June 27, citing a legal provision that “a foreign citizen can also be granted Serbian citizenship if that is in line with the country’s interests”.

BELGRADE, July 29. /TASS/: The fact that Montenegro’s authorities have joined anti-Russian sanctions is sheer madness, Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral said in an interview with TASS on Monday.

BELGRADE, May 28. /TASS/: The Russian Embassy to Serbia demands a probe into the incident with a Russian diplomat in Kosovo and punishment for all guilty persons, Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Chepurin wrote on the embassy’s Facebook page on Tuesday.

"We will demand from the international presence controlling the situation in the region an investigation into that incident and prosecution of those responsible," the ambassador said.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The Latest on tensions between Serbia and Kosovo (all times local):

7 p.m.

The United Nations says a Russian staff member detained during a police operation in Kosovo’s Serb-populated north has been released from the hospital and is calling for the immediate release of a second staff member who is a Kosovar citizen.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said both staff members were injured during Tuesday’s operation and the Russian staffer is being examined following his release.

BELGRADE, May 28. /TASS/: The police of the unrecognized republic of Kosovo have detained a Russian national who is an employee of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday while addressing the country’s parliament.

"Mikhail Krasnoshchenkov, a Russian citizen and an employee of the UNMIK mission, is among the detainees. We informed the relevant Russian agencies about that," he said.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The Latest on tensions between Serbia and Kosovo (all times local):

11:40 a.m.

Serbia’s president is warning that his country will act to “protect our people” in neighboring Kosovo amid soaring tensions with its former war-time foe.

Aleksandar Vucic confirmed reports Tuesday that Serbian troops have been placed on alert after armed police in Kosovo, a former Serbian province, entered Serb-populated regions and made a number of arrests.