Djuric meets with Turkish FM

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Belgrade on Monday.

Djuric and Fidan discussed in detail the numerous aspects of bilateral relations and opportunities for continued advancement of mutually beneficial cooperation based on clearly expressed political will of the two sides and a quality relationship between the heads of the two states, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

Djuric said Serbia-Turkey cooperation could have a key role in creating lasting stability in the Western Balkans, and noted that Serbia was substantially interested in building a peaceful and prosperous region.

He informed Hakan in detail of the situation in Kosovo-Metohija, noting that continuing the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, deadlocked for years due to Albin Kurti's unilateral moves, was imperative.

Djuric expressed the expectation Turkey would show understanding for Serbia's positions and contribute to creating a positive atmosphere for continued productive dialogue between representatives of Belgrade and Pristina on normalisation of relations.

Commenting on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Djuric noted that Serbia consistently supported the Dayton Agreement and the territorial integrity of its neighbour, and believed that solutions to internal problems in that country must be sought by getting all relevant, democratically elected political actors involved in dialogue, while also respecting the powers belonging to Republika Srpska.

Fidan confirmed his country's participation in the specialised EXPO 2027 in Belgrade and extended an official invitation to Djuric to visit Ankara, the statement said.