MOSCOW, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- On Feb. 25 Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev made a one-day working visit to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The presence of the foreign minister and his deputy shows the international importance of the visit in the context of Kosovo's self-proclaimed independence on Feb. 17.

"In the near future, we will also sign other oil-related agreements. This will create a firm foundation for further bilateral cooperation," Medvedev said.

He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his deputy, Vladimir Titov, and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller. Medvedev also represented Gazprom as chairman of the board of directors. The main subject of the talks was to specify a framework intergovernmental agreement signed in Moscow in late 2007.

Russian Ambassador in Belgrade Alexander Alekseyev said that Russia and Serbia should compare their positions and outline new steps in the Kosovo direction.

Russia has already prepared a memo that specified all stages and deadlines of the pipeline agreement. In line with it, Gazprom will build a 400-kilometer leg of the South Stream pipeline on Serbian territory. Its capacity will be more than 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year, or one-third of all gas pumped through the South Stream. Gas will travel via this pipeline to Austria through Hungary.