Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Friday in Belgrade that the relations between Turkey and Serbia are at a “golden time.” He made these remarks at a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
Vučić noted that the two leaders discussed important geopolitical topics as well as the challenges faced by both countries.
“Turkey and Serbia have strong economic relations. We have tripled trade exchanges compared to a few years ago,” Vučić said.
The Serbian president mentioned that an agreement has been reached to improve relations and cooperation in the defense and military industries.
Erdogan met with Vučić in Belgrade as part of his two-day visit to Serbia.
On the day of the Turkish president’s arrival in Serbia, on October 10, the Serbian government approved several memoranda of understanding between Serbia and Turkey in areas such as employment, social security, economy, industry and technology, media and information, youth and sports, as well as emergency management.
This marks Erdogan’s fourth visit to Serbia since 2017.
Before visiting Belgrade, he was in Tirana, where he promised Albania the donation of kamikaze drones and participated in the inauguration of a mosque built with Turkish funding.
During Erdogan’s previous visit to Belgrade in September 2022, Serbia expressed its interest in purchasing Bayraktar drones, but the purchase has never materialized.
At that time, a protocol was reached allowing citizens of Serbia and Turkey to travel between the two countries using only identification cards.
Turkey ranks fourth on the list of countries from which Serbia imported the most in 2023.
Turkish companies are present in various sectors in Serbia, including textiles, construction, mechanical industry, banking, and tourism.
The two countries maintain good relations but do not agree on the issue of Kosovo.
Ankara recognizes the independence of Kosovo, while Serbia does not.
