Serbia's OSCE chairmanship a big challenge

MOSCOW - Serbia's OSCE chairmanship is a big challenge, but Belgrade can be a fair mediator in conflict resolution, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Moscow on Friday, while his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic said that it is an opportunity to demonstrate creativity, justness and principled conduct to the world.

Russia is putting Serbia under no pressure and attempts to claim the contrary are politically incorrect - Belgrade has reaffirmed that it will be objective and unbiased once it assumes the OSCE chairmanship, Lavrov noted.

The starting point is that Serbia will work on the basis of principles previously agreed in the OSCE, Tass quoted Lavrov as saying at a joint press conference with Dacic.

Dacic noted that it is extremely important to maintain the ceasefire in Ukraine in order to implement the Minsk agreements in full and achieve a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

We know that it is the only way to overcome all the problems, Dacic said, adding that he will visit Kiev next Tuesday to meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.

The two ministers said that they support the collective quest for stronger trust and mutual understanding on the European continent.

Lavrov and Dacic also discussed the South Stream, and Dacic said that Belgrade is disappointed with the situation regarding the project.

It is a project in which we had made investments together, economically and in terms of energy - it is a necessity for Serbia, because it guarantees the energy security of the country, Dacic said.

He added that the presidents of the two countries are continuing consultations.

We will back discussions aimed at finding possibilities agreed with the EU...