By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Belgrade is extremely important for Serbia, the Serbian deputy foreign minister said Friday.
"It's a very important symbolism and it's a visit we are looking forward to. Personal relations and trust established between the two leaders, Aleksandar Vucic and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are a special quality to the relations of Türkiye and Serbia,” Nemanja Starovic said on Radio Television of Serbia. “President Vucic and the President of Türkiye Erdogan represent the most important and significant statesmen of the Balkan peninsula with the strongest authority in the wider European and international framework, just as they were King Alexander a hundred years ago The first Karadjordjevic and Kemal pasha Ataturk. This is a special quality that exists in our relationships.”
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced Thursday that Erdogan is preparing for an official visit to Serbia in the coming weeks.
Starovic said Erdogan could be the first head of state to visit Belgrade in Vucic's second presidential term.
He said Cavusoglu's visit Thursday was very significant and stressed that it is important to maintain a continuous dialogue with Türkiye.
"It is impossible to secure lasting peace, stability, and prosperity of the Balkan peninsula without good and meaningful relations on the Ankara-Belgrade relationship and this represents a good base for the political dialogue that is being held and intensified," said Starovic.
As a result of the friendly relations that Türkiye and Serbia enjoy, tourists and businesspeople frequently travel between the two countries.
Türkiye's AnadoluJet recently began flights from Ankara to Serbia's capital of Belgrade, while Turkish Airlines increased flights from Istanbul to the Balkan city to three per day.
Serbia and Türkiye have signed numerous agreements to further develop relations from defense to the economy.
Belgrade also reaffirmed its intention to purchase Türkiye's Bayraktar TB2 combat drones.