The members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, headed by Committee Chairman Borko Stefanovic, met today in the National Assembly with a delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Türkiye, headed by the Chairman, Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
Noting that this visit provides an opportunity to continue the successful interparliamentary cooperation between the two countries, Borko Stefanovic pointed out that relations between Serbia and Türkiye have been at the highest level in the last few decades.
Türkiye is a big, influential country and a good example for Serbia, as it has managed to preserve its independence and national interests in difficult times, Stefanovic pointed out. He emphasised the need for Serbia to join the EU as soon as possible, as it is in the state's interest.
In the course of the meeting, the Committee Chairman opined that, despite the fact that it had recognised the independence of the so-called of the state of Kosovo, Türkiye approaches the issue of normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina constructively. Stefanovic stressed that Belgrade will never recognise the independence of so-called of Kosovo, nor support its membership in the UN, even when an agreement with Pristina is reached.
He also warned of the great danger and possible complication of the situation if so-called of Kosovo is allowed to join NATO, and asked the Turkish colleagues to use their influence to point out the harmfulness of such an act.
Borko Stefanovic went on to speak about the successful economic cooperation between Serbia and Türkiye, expressing his belief that it will continue to follow the same trend, through new investments and joint infrastructure projects in Serbia. He opined that Türkiye, with its strong economy, is a factor of stability on two continents, adding how important it is that it has recognised Serbia’s key role for the stability of the Western Balkans.
The Chairman of the Turkish Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs Akif Çağatay Kılıç agreed that the relations between the two countries are following an upward trend, adding that the direct dialogue between the two presidents, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Aleksandar Vucic, has greatly contributed to this. He opined that the growing trade and tourism show great potential for the further development of relations, especially in view of the travel agreement allowing border crossing using identity cards, which the Serbian side still needs to ratify.
Kılıç also said that the problems between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as all open issues, should be resolved through dialogue.
The meeting was also attended by Foreign Affairs Committee Deputy Chairperson Marina Ragus and Committee members Usame Zukorlic, Elvira Kovacs, Draginja Vlk, Nemanja Joksimovic, Natasa Jovanovic, Biljana Pantic Pilja, Ugljesa Markovic and Dunja Simonovic Bratic.
Marina Ragus spoke of the current situation in Europe and the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine. She pointed out that Serbia supports respecting international law and that the preservation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each state is of key importance, adding that Serbia had condemned the Russian aggression on the territory of Ukraine. Ragus pointed out that in these circumstances, energy represents the biggest challenge for us and that energy diversification is a must. In that sense, TurkStream provides the energy stability our country, citizens and economy need, said Ragus.
In the course of the conversation, the officials emphasised the importance of the achieved economic cooperation, pointing out that Turkish companies in Serbia employ over 6,000 workers. They agreed on the importance of the ongoing infrastructure projects, with Usame Zukorlic saying that there is additional room for investment and infrastructure development in the area of Sandzak. They unanimously condemned the terrorist attacks in Istanbul.
