Trade to put mark on Erdoğan’s Serbia visit

BELGRADE

A major free­trade deal is likely to be the focus of a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Serbia, which begins today. Following a one­day official visit to Ukraine, Erdoğan is scheduled to spend two days in the Balkan country.

Erdoğan is scheduled to meet his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic and the country’s parliament speaker. The leaders will hold talks on bilateral issues and sign a range of agreements and attend the Turkey­Serbia Business Forum. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, speaking after a meeting with Turkish ambassador Tanju Bilgic, said the visit was crucial for improving ties between the two countries.

Brnabic said a free­trade agreement was critical for the strengthening of economic and trade ties. Bilgiç said Erdoğan’s visit to Serbia was “a historical visit in terms of Turkey and Serbia relations, a turning point.”

Bilgiç told Anadolu Agency that a deal on a high­level cooperation council between Turkey and Serbia would also be signed. “We have similar agreements with [other] countries in the region and when this mechanism is established, relations between two countries develop much faster, and regular meetings are held every year in the form of the Council of Ministers,” he said.