- It is a great pleasure to welcome His Excellency Ambassador Chepurin at the City Hall. Several topics will be on the agenda of our friendly conversation. This year, we are marking ten year anniversary of twin city relations between the City of Nizhny Novgorod and the City of Novi Sad and on the occasion of this jubilee we are preparing several events that will further strengthen the relationship between our two cities. Much of the quality intercity cooperation has been achieved in the past decade, primarily in the fields of culture and education. It is important to highlight the cooperation of the University of Novi Sad and the University from the said Russian city, which is more than satisfactory. Moreover, a lot has been achieved cooperation wise between Nizhny Novgorod schools and schools from Novi Sad, predominantly grammar schools "Laza Kostić" and "Isidora Sekulić”, and the Russian language school in elementary school "Jovan Popović", was also established in Novi Sad. Likewise, I am very pleased that together with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation I will visit "Jovan Jovanović Zmaj" grammar where the Russian center is situated, especially since this will be accompanied with the visit to one of the most important institutions in our country,” Matica srpska”, whose relocation back in 1864 to Novi Sad played a huge role in flourishing of science and culture, and thanks to which Novi Sad proudly carries the name of the "Serbian Athens" - Mayor Vučević  said and stressed that the City of Novi Sad is an excellent partner with the Petroleum Industry of Serbia “NIS”, with which it has  carried out several activities and projects  in the past, to the mutual satisfaction.

H.E. Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksander Chepurin said that it is always a great pleasure for him to visit Novi Sad.

- Good cooperation and favorable relations undoubtedly exist on the inter-city level and I hope that they will continue to evolve in the right direction. Our relations with Serbia are developing step by step and basis of these relationships is friendship between our countries. In the field of cultural cooperation, relations are developing actively and our desire is to continue to develop the economic cooperation, but also the one in the field of energy - Ambassador Chepurin said, emphasizing as an important fact that the “NIS” Company, whose annual income amounts to about 15% of the budget revenue of Serbia, is located in Novi Sad. He recalled the work of the company in charge of the implementation of the Russian loan for modernization of Serbian Railways “RZD International”, whose founder are the Russian railways, which renovate the railway on the stretch Belgrade-Novi Sad.

After the meeting in the City Hall, the officials went on a tour to "Jovan Jovanović Zmaj” grammar school, within which the Russian Center was established, where they met with the coordinator of the Center Mr. Nenad Spasić. The Russian Center in Novi Sad was opened on 25^th June 2009, on the initiative of the "Russian World" Fund and the Society of Serbian-Russian Friendship. The Russian centers of the “Russian World" Fund are being established with the aim of popularizing the Russian language and culture, as important elements of world civilization as well as to support the programs of learning Russian language abroad, developing the intercultural dialogue and reinforcing understanding and cooperation among nations. H.E. Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksander Chepurin visited “Matica srpska” and on this occasion, together with the Mayor Vučević, attended the meeting with the president and this oldest Serbian literary, cultural and scientific institution prof. Dragan Stanić, PhD, Secretary General, associate prof. Djordje Djurić, PhD, as well as other members of “Matica srpska” Presidency.

Novi Sad, 14^th April 2016