Moscow/Belgrade: Expressing concern over the massive student-led demonstrations in Serbia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow is monitoring the situation and hopes that the protests in the Slavic country will be resolved on the basis of the country’s Constitution and laws.
“We are monitoring the situation. We support calming the unrest, as Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said, in line with the Constitution and laws of this friendly state,” he said, reports Moscow Times.
“We note the readiness of the Serbian leadership for dialogue. Dialogue is the way to resolve any issues,” Lavrov said, with the Kremlin stating that Serbian authorities would “no doubt” be able to “return law and order” to the country, while also suggesting some hand of Western governments behind the unrest.
“We hope Western countries, which often exploit domestic affairs in other states to advance their interests, will refrain from colour revolutions this time,” Lavrov added.
This comes as protests across the Central European nation only seem to be intensifying. On Saturday, around 140,000 people took part in protests in central Belgrade, demanding snap elections and an end to Vučić’s 12-year rule.
Police, who estimated the crowd at 36,000 people, used tear gas and batons to disperse demonstrators, some of whom threw flares and bottles.
Serbian authorities said 48 police officers were injured, 22 people sought medical help and 77 were arrested. Eight protesters face charges, including planning to block roads and attack government buildings.
Demonstrations intensified further on Sunday, as thousands blocked major roadways in Belgrade and other cities.
The demonstrations mark the latest in over six months of public anger, initially sparked by the deadly collapse of a train station roof in Novi Sad last November — an incident widely blamed on corruption. The protests have already led to the prime minister’s resignation and a cabinet reshuffle.
Today, thousands of students staged anti-government protests in the country, and took to the streets in mass demonstrations, blocking roads and traffic points across 18 cities in Serbia.
UNI
