Russia cannot look indifferently at what is taking place in Kosovo, the President stressed. He said, “Even our Western counterparts admit this is ethnic cleansing, which calls for a tough response, in this case the defence of Serbs.”
He noted that Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu was to visit Serbia and Montenegro shortly. The President suggested that Mr Shoigu inform them of possible aid measures for refugees.
Mr Shoigu said that refugees were already fleeing from 20 towns and it was necessary to take urgent steps to supply them with tents, medicine and food.
Mr Shoigu also said that in the two days he was going to spend there, he planned to closely study the situation and, by agreement with the leaders of Serbia and Montenegro, take the above-mentioned measures.
Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Dmitry Medvedev, Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, Internal Affairs Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev, FSB Director Nikolai Patrushev, Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov took part in the meeting.