Lavrov cancels trip to Serbia after countries close airspace
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has cancelled his visit to Serbia after European countries around Serbia closed their airspace to his aircraft.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that European countries around Serbia closed their airspace to Lavrov's plane.
“Today, the countries around Serbia did not allow the aircraft of Sergey Lavrov who was going to Serbia and closed the communication channel (…) The Russian delegation was supposed to hold talks in Belgrade. However, EU and NATO member countries have closed their airspaces,” Zaharova said.
Serbian newspaper Vecernje Novosti reported that the countries which closed airspace are Serbia’s neighbours Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro.
The visit of the Russian minister was cancelled due to the closure of airspace, the Interfax news agency reported, citing a Russian diplomatic source.
Konstantin Kossachev, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Parliament, reacted to the closure of the airspace, saying that it was “an attempt against Russia and Serbia.”
“I hope the reaction will be collective and very intense, not only in the form of diplomatic protests, but also in the form of practical and concrete actions,” Kossachev wrote on Telegram.
EU countries have imposed sanctions on Sergey Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin since February 25 in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine.
