Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is due to hold talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Wednesday, marking their first meeting since Vučić sharply criticized Turkey’s role in the Western Balkans.
During the one-day visit, a plenary meeting of the two countries’ delegations is also planned, the Serbian presidency said.
Vučić arrived in Ankara earlier in the day and was welcomed at the airport by Turkey’s Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır.
In a post on Instagram, Vučić said he expected the visit to contribute to strengthening bilateral relations.
“Important talks await me in Ankara with President @rterdogan on issues of mutual importance for our countries and peoples,” Vučić wrote. “I am confident that this visit will further strengthen relations between Serbia and Turkey, deepen economic cooperation, investments and joint projects.”
He added that discussions would also cover regional issues, stability in the Balkans, and broader global challenges.
The meeting comes after a series of statements by Vučić expressing concern over what he described as a military alignment involving Albania, Croatia and Kosovo. He has also said he is worried about what he called new requests by Pristina for additional weapons from the United States and Turkey.
Last week, Vučić said Serbia had information that Kosovo was seeking artillery systems and additional anti-tank weapons, as well as military vehicles from Turkey.
In October last year, following reports that Turkey had supplied armed drones to Kosovo, Vučić said it was “clear that Turkey does not want stability in the Western Balkans” and accused Ankara of violating international norms. Turkey has not publicly responded to those remarks.
Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, neither side provided details of the agenda, though bilateral relations, regional stability, and defense issues are expected to feature in the talks.
The commander of NATO’s KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, Major General Özkan Ulutaş, is from Turkey.
Vučić and Erdoğan last met in Belgrade in October 2024, when 11 agreements were signed, and the fourth session of the Serbia–Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council was held.
Since 2017, the two leaders have met 14 times, including bilateral visits and meetings at international gatherings. This marks Vučić’s eighth visit to Turkey since the start of his current presidential term, while Erdoğan has visited Serbia three times in that period.
Serbia’s delegation includes Foreign Minister Marko Đurić, Defence Minister Bratislav Gašić, Economy Minister Adrijana Mesarović, and other senior officials, according to Serbian media reports.