A
welcoming ceremony for President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić was held today at
the Akorda Residence during his official visit to
Kazakhstan. The leaders held talks in both narrow and
expanded formats. President Kassym-Jomart
Tokayev noted
that Kazakhstan views Serbia as an important strategic partner in Europe and
that the visit would give additional impetus
to cooperation. This year, Astana and Belgrade mark the 30th
anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Over the years,
bilateral ties between the countries have strengthened in all areas. Trade
relations are also actively developing – last year, trade turnover approached
$108 million. More
than 60 Serbian companies are currently successfully operating in Kazakhstan. The two capitals are also
linked by direct flights.
«We sincerely want to further enhance our
relationship and mutually beneficial cooperation in many domains. And we have
just been talking about the ways how we can do it. Please be sure that from our
side, as President of this country, we’ll be doing our utmost in order to
strengthen, to foster the cooperation between both countries,» Tokayev said.
Vučić
thanked Tokayev for the warm reception and confirmed Belgrade’s readiness to
further strengthen multifaceted
cooperation with Astana. Specifically, he
expressed interest in expanding the participation of Kazakh companies in joint
projects, particularly in construction, defense, artificial intelligence, and
data centers.
«We want to see some of your projects that might become flagship projects, not only for Serbia, but for an entire region, for that part of Europe. I would like to see Kazakh builders in Serbia and your investors, because that will make Serbia not only financially, not investment-wise, but culturally richer, and that will bring more of Kazakh people to our country as well. And we'll do our best to boost other Serbian investors that are able or interested into investing in your country,» Vučić noted.
Following
the talks, the Presidents adopted
a Joint Statement and oversaw the signing of 10 memoranda of cooperation
covering artificial intelligence, digital development, investment, agriculture,
science, and education.
For his significant contribution to strengthening ties
between the two countries, Tokayev presented Vučić with Kazakhstan’s highest
state award, the Altyn Qyran Order (the Order of the Golden Eagle).
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