Russian Foreign Minister Cancels Trip to Serbia Over Neighboring Airspace Closure, Calls It an "Unprecedented Incident"

Airspace Closure of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Montenegro
Serbia Faces EU Collective Backlash Over Russia Gas Contract Renewal Announcement

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, strongly opposed the cancellation of his planned visit to Serbia for discussions on energy export contracts due to the closure of airspace by neighboring countries. This move is interpreted as an effort to maintain the European Union's (EU) unified stance on sanctions against Russia and to send a strong warning message to Russia. There are concerns that military tensions in Eastern European countries bordering Ukraine will also escalate significantly.

According to TASS news agency on the 6th (local time), Minister Lavrov said at an online press conference, "The cancellation of the visit due to the closure of airspace by countries surrounding Serbia is an unthinkable event," and condemned it as "an unprecedented and unacceptable act." He further strongly opposed the move, stating, "It is a deprivation of Serbia's right as a sovereign nation to pursue an independent foreign policy." The Russian government announced that following the cancellation of Lavrov's visit to Serbia, the Serbian Foreign Minister was invited to Moscow.

Previously, Minister Lavrov had intended to depart for Serbia to discuss energy exports and diplomatic issues, including the extension of the gas supply contract with Serbia. However, three Eastern European countries neighboring Serbia?Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Montenegro?banned the flight of the relevant aircraft and announced airspace closure measures. To enter Serbia from Russia, it is necessary to pass through the airspace of at least one of these three countries.

Immediately after the airspace closure measures, the Russian government strongly protested. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated, "The Russian delegation intended to go to Serbia for negotiations, but the countries surrounding Serbia banned Minister Lavrov's aircraft from flying and shut down communication channels."

Minister Lavrov was originally scheduled to visit Serbia on the 6th and 7th to discuss energy export contracts. Earlier, the Serbian government announced that the existing 10-year gas supply contract between the two countries expired at the end of last month and that a new contract for three years would be signed. This announcement was made while the European Union was agreeing on a maritime transport ban on Russian oil, leading to strong opposition from member states who argued it undermined EU unity.

Within the EU, concerns have grown as Hungary has already shown an overtly pro-Russian stance, and Serbia, a candidate country for EU membership, has also demonstrated pro-Russian actions. Serbia has stated its intention to join the EU but has not participated in sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Even when the EU introduced the sixth sanctions package, including a partial ban on Russian crude oil, Serbia renewed its energy contracts with Russia, maintaining their relationship.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.