Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is this week meeting his counterparts from Turkey and Russia, as his intense diplomatic activity continues.
Serbian’s president is continuing his diplomatic offensive and meetings with world officials with a new round of talks this week with the Turkish and Russian Presidents.
After his recent meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres and others, Vucic will meet Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Vucic will meet Erdogan in Turkey on Monday, while a day later he will meet his Russian counterpart in Moscow as part of a two-day visit.
Serbian media predicted that the agenda of both visits will include the former province of Kosovo, whose independence Serbia rejects, and economic relations.
When Vucic meets Erdogan on May 7, the main focus will be on economic cooperation, however.
At a ceremony in Belgrade’s Kalemegdan fort for a bicycle tour promoting Serbian-Turkish friendship, called “From Istanbul Gate to Belgrade Gate”, Vucic said he was looking forward to seeing Erdogan.
“I cannot wait for my meeting with the Turkish President. We will discuss bilateral relations as well as other developments in the Balkan region,” Vucic said on April 28, Anadolu news agency reported.
Turkey’s ambassador to Serbia, Tanju Bilgic, said at the same ceremony that “Turks and Serbs have many things in common.
“This tour will help to improve friendly relations between the two nations,” he was quoted by Anadolu as adding.
During the days of the Ottoman Empire, of which Serbia was a province, the imperial capital of Istanbul and Belgrade were connected by a main road running from the Belgrade Gate in Istanbul to the Istanbul Gate at Kalemegdan.
The road expressed both the might of the Ottoman army and the strength of the empire’s economy, since both soldiers and merchants used it to reach Europe.
Serbia’s Ministry for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure said on May 3 that Turkish and Serbian ministries will sign a memorandum of understanding during Vucic’s visit, on a motorway project, while agreements between Turkish companies and Serbia on improving Serbia’s infrastructure will be also signed.
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