Serb president: Ties with Turkey 'extremely efficient'

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday praised his country's relations with Turkey, saying they were "extremely efficient" for Belgrade.

Vucic's remarks came ahead of his official visit to Turkey on May 7.

"Relations with Turkey are extremely efficient. As a result of the good relations, factories have been opened at the most remote corners of Serbia," Vucic told a news conference in the capital.

"Thanks to the revised Free Trade Agreement signed in October with Turkey, Serbia's meat exports have increased 23%. We have many common interests with Turkey in economy and politics," said Vucic.

A review of a bilateral free trade agreement was signed alongside 12 other agreements in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vucic in October last year.

Vucic also noted that Turks were at the top of a list of foreign visitors Serbia hosted in 2017, expressing hope that the number would even go higher.

The current trade volume between Turkey and Serbia stands at $1.2 billion as the two countries had set a goal to increase it to $2 billion.