The Kstovo district may become a sister city to a city in Serbia.

      On April 6, 2026, at 16:30, Society In Nizhny Novgorod, the results of the working trip of the delegation to Serbia, led by the head of the city, Yuri Shalabaev, were summarized. During the visit, the parties discussed the expansion of cooperation, including the possibility of establishing sister city relations between the Kstovo district and the city of Sremski Karlovci, which is referred to as the Serbian Athens.

      A key event of the trip was the signing on March 30 of a new two-year roadmap for cooperation between Nizhny Novgorod and Novi Sad. The document reflects the key areas of interaction between the Volga capital and Novi Sad: tourism, culture, education, sports, and business. The roadmap was signed by the mayors of the cities – Yuri Shalabaev and Zarko Michin.

      As part of the visit, representatives of Nizhny Novgorod also visited the University of Novi Sad, where they discussed the development of higher education. As noted by Yuri Shalabaev, the capital of the Volga region is among the leaders in the number of students from Serbia studying at universities. Following the meeting, an agreement on cooperation between the universities was signed.

      Particular attention was paid to interaction in the business sector. At the venue of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, Mayor Yuri Shalabaev emphasized that it is the business circles that play a key role in the development of partnership. "I am confident that business partnership will become a reliable platform for productive cooperation between our organizations and business circles," he said.

      The parties also agreed to develop sports exchanges. In particular, the Serbian team "Vojvodina" was invited to participate in the international tournament "Cup of Sister Cities," which will take place in Nizhny Novgorod.

      During meetings in Belgrade, new areas of cooperation were discussed. In particular, the Kstovo district and the city of Sremski Karlovci intend to work on the issue of concluding a sister city agreement. It is noted that the territories have similar characteristics: proximity to large cities, tourism development, and historical ties to agriculture.

      In addition, the parties agreed to assist in organizing Nizhny Novgorod Days in Novi Sad and developing pilgrimage tours for Serbian tourists. The trade representative of Russia in Serbia, Irina Negrebetskaya, also invited colleagues from Nizhny Novgorod to participate in the international exhibition "EXPO-2027," which will be held in Belgrade, and expressed interest in jointly developing the popular music festival "Autumn in Switzerland" (0+), which is held annually in the namesake park in Nizhny Novgorod.

      The issue of a visit by Serbian teachers to Nizhny Novgorod for experience exchange is being worked on separately – Yuri Shalabaev instructed his deputy Leonid Streltsov to provide the necessary support.

      Let us remind you that a direct air service between Nizhny Novgorod and Belgrade is planned to be launched soon, from where it is easy to reach Novi Sad.

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