Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's President, said on Wednesday that his country and Russia had strategic and partner relations of mutual respect and understanding, the Beta news agency reported.

During a celebration of the Russian Day at Moscow's embassy in Belgrade, Vucic said that "every big day for Russia is equally big and important for Serbia."

He read the congratulatory note he sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he said he was "sincerely happy for Russian achievements."

"Strategic and partner relationship between Serbia and Russia was confirmed during your visit to Belgrade (in January). It touched the soul of the Serb nations," Vucic wrote to Putin.

At the ceremony, Vucic added the Russian Day was a great holiday for "the friendly, brotherly Russian people," and that it was "the holy day for every Russian who honours the ideals of freedom and independence."

The outgoing Russian ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Chepurin said, speaking in Serbian, that there were not "many countries such as Serbia and Russia which supported each other through centuries," and added he was convinced that cooperation would be "even richer and more dynamic."

Chepurin's successor is Balkans expert Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko.

See at: http://rs.n1info.com/English/NEWS/a491447/President-Vucic-Long-live-Serbian-Russian-friendship.html