‘Serbia key to peace and stability in Balkans’ says Türkiye president

THE President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that the country sees “Serbia as a key country for peace and stability in the Balkans.”

Speaking at the Türkiye-Serbia Business Forum in Belgrade on Wednesday, September 7, Türkiye President Erdoğan confirmed that his country will “work in cooperation [with Serbia] in order for stability and prosperity to prevail in the Balkans region.”

Speaking in Belgrade, President Erdoğan thanked his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić for his hospitality after visiting Serbia for the time following a 3-year hiatus.

“We have rooted historical and cultural ties with Serbia. We have cohabited these lands for centuries. Our ancient friendly ties play a significant role in taking our relations to a perfect level,” he said.

“We see Serbia as a key country for peace and stability in the Balkans. We work in cooperation in order for peace and prosperity to prevail in the region.”

He added: “Serbia maintained its growth with appropriate economic policies during and after the pandemic. A large number of investors come to the region because of Mr Vučić’s visionary approach.

“We consider our economic and trade cooperation as the engine of our bilateral relations. Economic and trade relations not only strengthen the ties between states but also contribute to the atmosphere of stability and peace, particularly in this region.

“In this regard, I congratulate DEİK and its Serbian Business Council, which act as the standard bearer of our business diplomacy.”

President Erdoğan said that “the revival of the tourism industry, which suffered immensely from the pandemic everywhere in the world, significantly contributes to both our economies and the ties between our peoples.

“The mutual tourist numbers rise very fast. We expect the number of Serbian tourists visiting our country to exceed 300 thousand this year, a record-breaking figure. In return, over 150 thousand Turkish tourists will hopefully be visiting Serbia this year.

“These record high figures stem to a large extent from the presence of direct flights between the two countries and the diversification of destinations. Our flagship carrier Turkish Airlines’ subsidiary Anadolu Jet initiated last December direct flights between Ankara and Belgrade for the first time.”

Stressing that the agreement for travel by ID cards between the two countries will further increase mutual travel, President Erdoğan said: “We have taken the initial steps towards forming the sister-city relations between Bursa and Novi Pazar, Alanya and Novi Sad, and, Balıkesir and Niš.

“We expect the continuation of these favourable developments which strengthen the ties between our peoples.”

You can read the full address here.

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