Vucic with Kavelashvili: Respect for the UN Charter and UN resolutions of key importance

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today, after talks with Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili, that they had reached full agreement that respect for the Charter of the United Nations and all UN resolutions is of essential importance, and he thanked his guest for Georgia’s respect for the territorial integrity of Serbia. Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili stressed that respect for territorial integrity is of exceptional importance for his country, and with regard to relations with the EU, he expressed hope that the European bureaucracy would be fair and that the approach would once again be based on fair principles, adding that both Serbia and Georgia are part of the European heritage.

At a joint press conference, Vucic said that he had discussed the geopolitical situation with Kavelashvili, as well as the situation in the Caucasus region, the Western Balkans and Southeastern Europe.

“We understood each other very well. It is important that we agreed that respect for the UN Charter and UN resolutions is of essential importance for relations between the two states. We are grateful to Georgia for respecting the territorial integrity of Serbia, just as Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Georgia. This position will not change in the future on either side,” Vucic said.

He stated that he and Kavelashvili, as presidents of small or medium-sized countries, know very well that the only salvation they can seek lies in international public law and the protection of the international order.

“That is what we will stubbornly adhere to in the future,” President Vucic made clear.

He said that they had agreed on more frequent political consultations and mutual support not only within the UN and its organizations and institutions, but also in all international forums.

“Georgia will always be able to count on the Serbian vote, just as Serbia can count on Georgia’s support,” Vucic emphasized.

Recalling that Georgia, which has access to the Black Sea, borders Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia, he noted that people in that country know well what relations with great powers are like.

“Just as we are exposed to such relations, and therefore we understand Georgia’s position well,” Vucic added.

He also noted that President Kavelashvili’s visit is historic, as this is the first visit of a Georgian president to Serbia, recalling that the two countries established diplomatic relations 30 years ago.

“It is a great honor for me to host the President of Georgia. Both as a citizen and as President of Serbia, I feel happy that for the first time in history we have the opportunity to host the President of Georgia,” Vucic told his colleague from Tbilisi.

He pointed out that Serbia and Georgia have very close relations, but that not enough had been done on this in the past.

“The closeness of the two peoples is such that I told President Kavelashvili that in Belgrade and Serbia he cannot find anyone who can say anything bad about Georgia, and that he will be able to see and feel that everywhere,” Vucic said.

He said that Serbia and Georgia have only recently begun to concretize their good relations, recalling that a direct Belgrade–Tbilisi flight has recently become operational, as a prerequisite for advancing political, economic and all other relations.

He announced that Serbia’s embassy in Tbilisi will soon be opened, which will be the right place to launch many business initiatives, but also important for improving political cooperation.

Vucic also noted that in just a few days, on December 22, a meeting of the Serbia–Georgia Joint Committee will be held, which will initiate talks on concluding a free trade agreement between the two countries.

“I believe to the mutual satisfaction. We hope for a free trade agreement by the end of next year,” the Serbian president indicated.

He added that the two countries will continue to develop cooperation in the fields of agriculture, industry, artificial intelligence and the ICT sector.

“As we further improve our relations, I believe that we will also discuss military-technical cooperation and cooperation between our defense industries. These are all good news for the citizens of both countries,” Vucic concluded.

Kavelashvili: Respect for territorial integrity of exceptional importance for Georgia

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili stressed that respect for territorial integrity is of exceptional importance for his country.

“We respect the territorial integrity of Serbia, and it is important to us that Serbia does the same when it comes to our country. Thank you for respecting our territorial integrity. We attach great importance to this,” Kavelashvili said.

He said that he had also discussed with the President of Serbia Belgrade’s experience with the EU.

“Everyone knows that relations between Georgia and the EU are not at a high level. Our relations are often marked by double standards, which is also familiar to Serbia,” Kavelashvili emphasized.

He therefore expressed hope that the European bureaucracy would be fair and take a different stance, and that the Union’s approach would once again be based on fair principles.

He stressed that Georgia is always ready for cooperation and dialogue, because these are key elements in relations.

He underlined that Serbia and Georgia are part of the European heritage.

Kavelashvili pointed out that since the beginning of the Ukrainian–Russian war, Georgia has found itself under heavy pressure.

“We have protected our national interest and principles. We have gained enormous experience regarding our northern neighbor. We are taking a principled position, which is important for all countries today,” he emphasized.

“When it comes to Georgia and Serbia, we are connected by the Orthodox Christian faith. That is why a meeting with the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, with whom I will speak during the visit, is also significant for our people. We consider ourselves nations that serve their homeland,” he stressed.

Kavelashvili said that the authorities of the two countries must strive to make already good relations even closer.

He emphasized that there is room for strengthening economic cooperation, especially in agriculture.

Kavelashvili recalled that Georgia and Serbia are marking 30 years of bilateral relations and that this is the first visit of a Georgian president to Belgrade, which is of great significance.

The President of Serbia congratulated the Georgian authorities on an incredible rate of economic growth.

“This is important to mention, because you can only see images of some demonstrations, but this is a fantastic country that achieved economic growth of 9.4 percent last year and 7.9 percent this year. We will look up to you, and next year aim to reach a growth level of at least four percent,” Kavelashvili said.