Putin's visit "destined to be success" - ambassador

Putin's visit "destined to be success" - ambassador

BELGRADE -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Serbia on October 16 will be successful, Russia's Ambassador to Belgrade Alesandr Chepurin said on Wednesday.

The visit is destined to be a success, and nothing can prevent that success, except maybe rain during the parade, Chepurin told Tanjug.

Serbia and Russia are friendly countries and the two nations are close, he said.

The visit has three main elements, and the first and most important goal is to transform the two nation's friendly relations, as well as political ties, into economic, scientific and cultural cooperation, the Russian ambassador said.

That will be the most significant part of the discussions, he said, adding that the agreements whose signing has been announced will address this.

The second objective of the visit is to pay a tribute to Serbian and Russian heroes, he said.

While the date of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade has no special significance for some, it is a significant event for the Russians and the Serbs, who suffered in the global cataclysm, Chepurin said.

"It is important to remember our history correctly - our nations were on the right side of history, demonstrating courage and suffering greatly. It is our duty to pay a tribute to them, Chepurin said, noting that 31,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in the liberation of Serbia," the diplomat said.

He said that the third objective is to establish contacts between the two leaderships to assess bilateral, as well as global issues.

Responding to comments that the Russian president's visit will be closely watched by foreign, in particular, Western...