Serbia and Turkey have signed an agreement on defence cooperation and expressed interest in the joint production of weapons and military equipment, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday after meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trend reports citing Sputnik.
"Today, I have discussed defence cooperation with President Erdogan for the first time since our experts met and I expect great progress after we signed a cooperation agreement in this sector today. Our experts have shown interest in buying certain types of weapons and equipment from Turkey. We also express our desire to participate in the transfer of technology and creation of a joint venture in the defence industry", Vucic said at a press conference.
Erdogan, for his part, said, as cited by the Anadolu news agency, that the meeting with his Serbian counterpart had been "very fruitful" in terms of further developing bilateral ties.
The Turkish president arrived in Belgrade earlier on Monday for a two-day visit, bringing with him a large delegation of government officials and 200 Turkish entrepreneurs.
After a solemn meeting in the Palace of Serbia government complex, the two presidents held a meeting of the Supreme Council for Bilateral Cooperation and signed nine intergovernmental agreements in various sectors. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic emphasised the importance of the defence cooperation agreement between Belgrade and Ankara, as well as numerous infrastructure projects.