Erdogan Hails “Golden Age” of Serbia-Turkey Relations

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Belgrade, Oct. 11 2024 (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during an Oct. 11 visit to Belgrade that the relations with Serbia had entered a "golden age" and that economic ties were driving the dynamics of the bilateral relationship.

After a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Palace of Serbia, Erdogan said that the purpose of his visit to Belgrade was to restart bilateral ties "built on solid foundations." The Turkish president said that the agreements that the two states had signed would strengthen the contractual obligations between them and that, during the talks with Vucic, the two presidents exchanged views on international and global affairs, as well as the situation in the Balkans.

"We exchanged opinions and expectations with Vucic regarding regional cooperation, highlighting the importance of peace and stability in the Balkans. It is very important to employ a common sense approach in resolving the issues arising from tensions in Kosovo," Erdogan said, adding that stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina was very important, though very fragile. He noted that this should be taken into consideration, but also changed, adding that "Serbia is playing the role of a stabilizer" in the region.

At the Palace of Serbia the two presidents attended the signing of numerous bilateral cooperation agreements between the two countries. Documents were signed in the fields of labor, employment, and social security, the economy, industry and technology, energy transition, media and information, youth and sports, disaster management, and cooperation in emergency situations. Erdogan and Vucic also attended a Serbia-Turkey Business Forum at the Hyatt Hotel in Belgrade.