Selakovic, Lyubimova lay wreaths at cemetery of WWII liberators of Belgrade

BELGRADE - Serbian Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic and his Russian counterpart Olga Lyubimova laid flowers at the Eternal Flame memorial and wreaths at the Cemetery of the Liberators of Belgrade on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of the city's liberation in WWII.

Earlier, the ministers spoke at the opening of the 5th Russian-Serbian Cultural Forum at the Russian House.

Speaking to reporters during a break in the forum, Selakovic said "further deepening and advancement of cultural ties between Serbia and the Russian Federation" would be discussed during Lyubimova's working visit to Belgrade, which began earlier in the day.

He said cultural ties represented one of the fundamental values of bilateral relations between Serbia and Russia.

Noting that Serbia and Russia were cooperating on a large number of projects, Selakovic said a second iteration of the Ermitazh Days event in Serbia had been announced at the forum for February 2025.

Thanking Lyubimova for her personal efforts and commitment, Selakovic said the cooperation achieved was "visible when you look at the list of Russian cultural representatives who came" to the forum.

"They are the most eminent directors of the Russian Federation's top cultural institutions. The opportunity for experience-sharing and agreements on future cooperation is invaluable," Selakovic noted.

Lyubimova said the forum was a meeting place for representatives of major institutions and for discussions about directions of joint cultural action.