Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday called for strengthened technical military operation with Cyprus.

Speaking upon a visit to the country of his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides, he said his country is “grateful to Cyprus and to you personally for your great support, not only in terms of Serbia’s European path, but also for the development of our bilaterial relations in various areas”.

He added that bilateral relations between Cyprus and Serbia are at a “very god level”, and added that there is “political will to further strengthen relations between the two countries” in terms of trade.

“Our bilateral relations in the areas of agriculture, innovation, and the technical military sector should be strengthened even further in the future,” he said, adding that Friday’s meeting will “lead to further close cooperation” in the near future.

He also expressed gratitude for the fact that Cyprus has not recognised Kosovo as an independent country, and as such said that in return, Serbia will not recognise northern Cyprus.

“Cyprus can always count on our support for its territorial integrity. We consider the Cypriots a brotherly people and Cyprus a brotherly state, and we will do everything we can to work as hard as possible to strengthen our cooperation and in our relations,” he said.

He added that those relations should extend further in matters of trade and tourism, before saying he is “keenly interested” in issues concerning Cyprus’ holding of the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency in the first half of next year.

He said he aims to “discuss and receive as much advice as possible from the Republic of Cyprus in relation to Serbia’s European path” in this context.

Christodoulides described his trip to Serbia as a “symbolic visit”, saying he wishes to “send a strong and clear political message about our commitment and readiness to work for substantial progress in relation to Serbia’s European prospects”.

“I look forward to our discussions on this issue, on how we can coordinate our actions, so as to see substantial progress during our own holding of the rotating presidency,” he added.

He also stressed the importance of bilateral relations with Serbia.

“We share the same views on all issues, and in particular today, I would like to see how we can strengthen our cooperation on the issues of defence, security, and tourism. A few weeks ago, Cyprus participated for the first time in the international tourism fair in Belgrade. I am glad to see a more than 200 per cent increase in the number of tourists from Serbia to Cyprus,” he said.

He also pointed out that there are now daily flights linking Serbia and Cyprus, saying that this allows for “many prospects” for tourism between the two countries to be bolstered in the future.

In addition, he announced that Cyprus will participate in Expo 2027, the specialised exhibition to be held in Belgrade between May and August of 2027, and that he will personally attend the event, before also touching on the matter of Kosovo.

“I would like to reiterate our clear position on the issue of Kosovo. Cyprus fully supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia,” he said.

Following both leaders’ statements, the two countries’ delegations sat down for talks described by the Cypriot government as “extensive”, before a working lunch was held.

Christodoulides is set to travel from Serbia to neighbouring Montenegro on Friday evening, where he is set to hold a  meeting with the country’s President Jakov Milatovic.