BELGRADE: Serbia and Turkey have signed a series of agreements, aimed at expanding cooperation in both the economic and defence sectors during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's official visit to Serbia.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Erdogan and they discussed key areas of collaboration, including trade, investment, and joint ventures in defence, Xinhua news agency reported.
The two leaders oversaw the signing of 11 agreements, covering a wide range of areas such as free trade, energy transition, youth cooperation, and disaster management.
Vucic highlighted the importance of Turkish investments in Serbia's economic development, especially in infrastructure, energy, and trade.
Erdogan described the current state of relations between Serbia and Turkey as a "golden age, " citing the significant growth in economic ties.
"We see great potential for further collaboration, particularly in defence and aerospace, " Erdogan added.
The two Presidents also agreed to strengthen defence industry cooperation, with a focus on drone technology and joint technological development.
Addressing the Serbia-Turkey Business Forum, both leaders emphasised the importance of deepening commercial ties.
"This is just the beginning. Serbia is on a path of economic growth, and together with Turkey, we can achieve even more, " said Vucic.
Vucic, in turn, hailed Turkey as "the greatest power in the Balkans, " stressing Serbia's expectation of continued Turkish support for peace and stability in the region.
Saying that some parts of Serbia survive thanks to Turkish investments, Vucic said Serbia values its friendly relations with Turkey, calling them important for political and economic ties on the scale of both Eurasia and the entire globe.
"There is a huge potential for cooperation in the field of defence cooperation, " he added.
He also praised Erdogan as a person who "understands the problems in the Balkans very well and always says that dialogue is the only way to solve them".