Vucic: Tomorrow in Baku, I will discuss Kenya’s recognition of Kosovo with the Kenyan President

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is currently visiting Baku, announced that he will meet tomorrow with William Ruto to discuss Kenya’s recognition of Kosovo.

Vucic said that tomorrow, at the “Urban Forum” conference, he will meet with several world leaders, including the President of Kenya.

“I was very disappointed when he recognized Kosovo’s independence, and we will discuss that further, although we have already spoken about it before. We will certainly also discuss economic cooperation,” Vucic told reporters in Baku.

Kenya recognized Kosovo in March of last year, explaining that the decision was made “in the interest of international peace and security, territorial integrity, and with the aim of advancing and strengthening relations with the countries of the Balkans.”

At the time, Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted by condemning the decision and stressing that the move represented a gross violation of international law and a direct breach of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, as well as a regrettable precedent in the traditionally friendly relations between Serbia and Kenya.

Speaking about his talks with Ilham Aliyev, Vucic emphasized that he had a successful meeting which opened new areas of cooperation with Azerbaijan.

“We have supported each other for years in all international forums and organizations. We discussed the geopolitical situation and the conflict in Iran, given that Azerbaijan borders that country. Thanks to Aliyev’s wise policy, they did not enter into conflicts and managed to preserve peace and stability,” Vucic said.

Vucic also stated that the framework agreement for a gas-fired power plant to be built near Nis, with an installed capacity of 500 megawatts, is nearing completion and will soon be signed.

“We agreed on how the plant will be used and what the gas supply sources will be. This represents enormous potential and a new capacity for our power industry. It will be of great importance not only in the era of data centers, but also due to the growing electricity consumption caused by electric vehicles. It is a lifesaving solution not only for Nis, but for the whole of Serbia,” Vucic stressed.

He expressed confidence that this marks the beginning of broader cooperation in the energy sector.
Vucic added that a large number of Azerbaijani companies attended the meeting with Aliyev.

“We offered them our numerous spa resorts that had been neglected for decades, so they could renovate them, employ people, with subsidies from the state,” Vucic said.

He also expressed satisfaction with the fact that the occupancy rate on the air route between Belgrade and Baku has reached “an incredible 90 percent.”

Vucic said he also discussed deepening military-technical cooperation with Aliyev, noting that there is room for significant progress.

“This is an extremely important visit, and I believe that we will soon open new areas of cooperation and significantly increase trade exchange,” Vucic stated.

He added that Serbia will be the fastest-growing economy in Europe next year, and among the top five this year.

Regarding his announced visit to China, Vucic said that in two days he will learn when he will travel to Beijing, which will be visited tomorrow and the day after tomorrow by Vladimir Putin.

“After that, it will be our turn. We are preparing for that visit, which is of the greatest importance for us in the past two or three decades,” the Serbian president said.