Vucic: Through Serbia–Turkey cooperation, peace can be preserved; Erdogan: We have never neglected the Balkans

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated today in Ankara that he is confident that if Serbia and Turkey demonstrate good cooperation on various issues, all countries in the Western Balkans will together succeed in preserving peace and securing a future for all peoples.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized that Turkey is making maximum efforts to preserve peace and stability both in its neighborhood and beyond — in the Balkans, which, he said, holds a special place for Ankara. They announced a visit of a Turkish delegation, led by President Erdoğan, to Belgrade and Novi Pazar in May or June.

At a joint press conference, Vucic stressed that Serbia respects President Erdoğan’s leadership.

“I represent a small but sovereign and freedom-loving country that has always known how to respect true leaders and people who genuinely wish to preserve peace. If Turkey and Serbia can cooperate well in the Western Balkans — and today we openly discussed for the first time military-technical and military-to-military cooperation — I am confident that we will be able to preserve peace and secure a future for all our citizens,” Vucic said.

He expressed support for the Balkan Peace Platform, describing it as highly important and stating that, if invited, he would respond to the initiative.

“I believe there will be other important initiatives aimed at connecting the peoples of the Balkans. Erdoğan is more experienced. I sometimes say something that he may not like, but he is wise enough to let it pass, to allow things to settle, and to continue talking. When people talk, all problems can be resolved,” the Serbian president emphasized.

Vucic expressed satisfaction with the talks in Ankara, describing them as open and sincere — like discussions between two long-time friends who address each other in such a manner.

“I am pleased with the tone and conclusions of our talks. When President Erdoğan said a few years ago that our goal was to reach five billion euros in trade exchange, I was skeptical. At that time, our trade exchange was around 800–900 million euros. Today it is almost 3.5 billion. It is clear that Erdoğan was right. This means a great deal to Serbia, which is significantly smaller than Turkey. We are aware that we cannot be Turkey’s most important partner, but Turkey is one of Serbia’s most important partners,” Vucic underlined.

He added that discussions were fruitful and productive and included concrete issues as well as Turkish investments in Serbia.

“Some people in Serbia do not realize that in certain underdeveloped areas, especially in the south, people have a future thanks to Turkish companies,” Vucic noted.

The talks also covered infrastructure projects in Serbia involving Turkish companies. Vucic expressed confidence that during Erdoğan’s upcoming visit, contracts would be signed for the construction of the Kraljevo–Novi Pazar expressway and its extension toward Jarinje.

He added that other projects were discussed, such as accelerating works on the Stalac–Djunis railway, awarded to Turkey through a European tender. He also announced that works on the Belgrade–Nis railway will begin soon, with further extension toward Sofia and Istanbul, eventually connecting Istanbul with Budapest.

Vucic highlighted that Turkey’s acceptance to participate in Expo 2027 in Serbia is very important. He announced that a Joint Committee will begin work at the end of the month and that a parliamentary friendship group with Serbia will be formed on February 26.

Erdoğan: We Have Never Neglected the Balkans

President Erdoğan stressed that Ankara has never neglected the Balkans.

“At a time when uncertainties are increasing day by day, as Turkey we are making every possible effort to preserve peace and stability among our neighbors and beyond, and we have never neglected the Balkans, which hold a special place for us,” Erdoğan said.

In that context, he noted that President Vucic’s visit was important.

“While strengthening bilateral relations with countries in the region, we aim to create conditions that support peace and prosperity through regional initiatives. One of the latest examples is Turkey’s hosting of the second meeting of the Balkan Peace Platform on January 23, and I am grateful to President Vucic for his personal support of that platform,” Erdoğan stated.

He expressed hope that today’s decisions would be significant for bilateral relations and for the region.

Erdoğan also conveyed that discussions included what can be done to further develop Sandzak, which Ankara sees as a bridge of friendship between Serbia and Turkey, noting that projects aimed at the development of that region are being closely monitored.

He recalled that the two presidents last met on October 11, 2024, in Belgrade during the fourth meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council, observing that much has happened since then both bilaterally and regarding regional and global issues.

“Today we assessed the impact of those developments on our relations and discussed future steps, particularly what we can do to maintain stability and strengthen economic development in the Balkans,” Erdoğan underlined.

He added that trade cooperation is growing steadily and that Turkish investments are the driving force behind bilateral relations.

Trade exchange reached 3.5 billion dollars last year, gradually approaching the five-billion-dollar target.

Erdoğan announced Turkey’s participation in Expo 2027 in Serbia, describing it as an additional opportunity to develop economic, trade, and cultural ties.

“We are satisfied with the interest of Turkish investors in Serbia — in 2015 about 100 Turkish companies operated there; today there are more than 1,500, with total investments of 300 million dollars. We also expect Serbian investors to come to Turkey,” Erdoğan said.

He emphasized the importance of people-to-people relations, reflected in the increasing number of tourists traveling between the two countries, and noted that expanding the number of flights was among the topics discussed.

Erdoğan’s Visit to Serbia in May or June

Erdoğan expressed hope that he would visit Belgrade and Novi Pazar with a large delegation in May or June.

Vucic said that such a visit would mean a great deal for Serbia and expressed hope that they would also visit other parts of the Raska region (Sandzak) to jointly showcase what has been achieved and what is planned.

Accompanying President Vucic in Turkey were Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic, Minister without Portfolio in charge of reconciliation, regional cooperation and social stability Usame Zukorlic, Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic, and Assistant Minister of Defense Nenad Radomirovic.