Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Ana Brnabic arrived this evening in Podgorica on a plane of the Government of the Republic of Serbia with a donation of 2,000 doses of "Sputnik V" vaccines.

Prime Minister of Montenegro Zdravko Krivokapic and Minister of Health Jelena Borovinic Bojovic welcomed Prime Minister Brnabic at the airport in Podgorica.

Handing over the first batch of vaccines, the Serbian Prime Minister said that she was most pleased to be in Montenegro and to be able to deliver this donation.

I brought 2,000 vaccines for the first doses and we will see each other soon when we bring the revaccination doses as well. This may not seem like a large quantity of vaccines, but it is enough to immunize either the health workers in the red zone or the patrons and employees of gerontology centers. This is meant for the first line of defense and it will help you in the fight against coronavirus, Prime Minister Brnabic pointed out.

She pointed out that in this way, Serbia wanted to open a new chapter in the relations between the two countries.

With this, we aim for the relations between two peoples to be like between brothers and sisters, the best and greatest friends. We want to build bridges of brotherhood and friendship with Montenegro, she said.

Brnabic expressed admiration for the way in which Montenegro was fighting the coronavirus pandemic and stated that she noticed that an increasing number of persons was tested, which was the right way to fight this until the vaccine arrives.

In Serbia, we are glad that you are handling the coronavirus pandemic well, Brnabic pointed out.

The Prime Minister stated that solidarity was key, especially in difficult times, and added that Serbia was ready to donate more vaccines to Montenegro if necessary.

We received these vaccines owing to the personal friendship between the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and I am delighted that we were able to help Montenegro out, said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister of Montenegro thanked the Serbian Prime Minister for the vaccines.

I wish to express my gratitude to the state of Serbia for bringing us the most precious gift. Health is above all else, and solidarity is second to none, Krivokapic said, adding that the vaccines that Serbia donated to that country were a demonstration of the great respect that Serbia showed towards Montenegro.

Krivokapic expressed hope that this would be a new beginning in the development of mutual relations between the two countries.

I hope that this will be a new beginning in the development of our relations, which were at a standstill for a while. We need to improve our relations to benefit of our citizens, because that is our obligation. Please convey gratitude to the citizens of Serbia who gave up vaccine doses for the benefit of the citizens of Montenegro, and this is not the first time in history, Krivokapic said.

Belgrade/Podgorica,
17 February 2021