SARAJEVO, October 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Belgrade on October 20 will help deepen Russian-Serbian ties, Serbia's president has said, as quoted by national media.
"This visit will provide an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia," Boris Tadic said, adding that Belgrade "valued greatly" Moscow's support over the Kosovo issue.
Moscow supports Belgrade's view that Kosovo is an indivisible part of Serbia.
Medvedev's trip to Serbia, during which he will attend celebrations to mark the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from Nazi forces, will be the first visit to the country by a Russian head of state since Vladimir Putin visited in 2001.
Tadic also urged greater economic cooperation between the two countries, and stressed the importance of Russia for the Serbian economy.
"Serbia would like to remain Russia's friend even after joining the European Union," he said. Serbia is considering applying for EU membership in the coming months.
