Djuric: Our cooperation with Azerbaijan to be even stronger

BELGRADE - Serbia's cooperation with Azerbaijan will be even stronger in the future, FM Marko Djuric said on Monday after a meeting with Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Belgrade.

When it comes to territorial integrity and sovereignty, Azerbaijan is a country that has always stood with Serbia in difficult and turbulent years, Djuric noted.

"Azerbaijan is a country we are actively working with on development of economic cooperation and cooperation in the energy sector, thanks to which the energy security of our country has been increased incomparably in these turbulent times," Djuric said.

He said the friendship between the two countries was based on a good personal relationship between Presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Ilham Aliyev and that bilateral cooperation had been excellent in 2024.

"Our cooperation with Azerbaijan will be even stronger and more intensive in the coming period and, in 2025, we will continue the strategic dialogue at high political level. We want to host the next round of the Strategic Council on Serbia-Azerbaijan cooperation in Belgrade," Djuric said.

He said the meeting with Bayramov had also discussed ways to encourage tourist visits between the two countries and that work on launching direct flights between Belgrade and Baku would be stepped up.

Bayramov said the relations with Serbia were marked by excellent political dialogue and promising economic cooperation as well as by cultural and humanitarian exchange.

He said the Council on Strategic Partnership had helped develop the bilateral relations in many fields.

"Thanks to our political interaction, today we have excellent mutual support within international organisations," Bayramov said.

He said introduction of visa-free travel between the two countries had helped advance the relationship between Serbians and the people of Azerbaijan.

Bayramov also said he was confident EXPO 2027, to be hosted by Serbia, would also contribute to development of the partnership between the two nations.