West Unhappy About Vucic's Success in Elections - Lavrov

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The West is unwilling to accept the outcome of the elections in Serbia and the amount of public support behind President Aleksandar Vucic, which prompted an attempt to "orchestrate an illegal power grab," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Sputnik.

"The events in Belgrade are yet another attempt to orchestrate an illegal power grab. Apparently, not everyone in the West is ready to accept the fact that voters in Serbia expressed support for President Aleksandar Vucic and his political course in the elections," Lavrov said.

The top Russian diplomat said people in Serbia were mindful of the 2014 coup in Ukraine, which explains why "the number of protesters is relatively small — only a few hundred people."

"Citizens do not trust individuals who say they are against violence, but in reality behave in the opposite way: they ignore the result of the popular vote and provoke the law enforcement," Lavrov said.

Russia and Serbia aim to develop cooperation in many fields, including security, the minister stated.

"Our dialogue with Serbia is well-paced, characterized by openness and a focus on developing a variety of cooperation areas, including in the field of security. This is a rather sensitive area. It would be correct to say that Moscow is always ready to lend a hand to Serbian friends," Lavrov clarified.