Vucic: Excellent year ahead of Serbia economically, we can learn much from UAE

ABU DHABI - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi an excellent year was ahead of Serbia economically, and noted that plans for the future and a political vision were a condition for progress in any country and that Serbia could learn much from the UAE in that regard.

"Here in the Emirates, we can best see what courageous and wise leadership brings to a country, and I believe we can learn much from them. Countless times, our Serbia has missed opportunities for accelerated development, this time we will not do so. In economic terms, an excellent year is ahead of us," Vucic said in an Instagram video.

Vucic is on a visit to the UAE, where he attended the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026 earlier in the day.

On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the host of the event.

Vucic: Important meeting with bin Zayed due on Wednesday, especially because of NIS

ABU DHABI - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, where he attended the opening ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026, that he would have a bilateral meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday and that it would be enormously important for Serbia, also in view of the situation regarding its oil company NIS.

NIS is under US sanctions due to its Russian majority ownership.

Vucic also said he had had a brief meeting with bin Zayed earlier in the day and that he had given interviews to UAE-based media outlets.

"A bilateral meeting with him (bin Zayed) will take place tomorrow, which is enormously important for us, also in view of the situation regarding NIS, which I cannot discuss in detail or in full as yet. I am hoping for other good news in that regard in the coming days," Vucic told reporters after the ADSW 2026 opening ceremony.

Asked if other projects with the UAE were being considered besides the Cibuk 1 and Cibuk 2 wind farms, Vucic responded Serbia was yet to cooperate with Masdar and other UAE-based companies, and added that a Finnish company was exiting a collaboration with the UAE and that Serbia would try to get involved as "every kilowatt is exceptionally important for us."

Vucic: In two to three days, I believe we will know who is buyer of Russian stake in NIS

ABU DHABI - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday the buyer of the Russian stake in the Serbian oil company NIS would definitely become known in two to three days.

NIS is under US sanctions due to its Russian majority ownership.

Asked by Serbian reporters in Abu Dhabi whether Hungary and its oil company MOL or the UAE was the closest to acquiring the Russian stake in the company, Vucic responded: "Or perhaps both of them, we will see."

"I believe you will know in two to three days," he added.

Vucic, who met with MOL executives in Belgrade on Monday to discuss the NIS issue, told reporters he would meet with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday and that the bilateral meeting would be enormously important for Serbia, including because of the situation regarding NIS.

Vucic: They are invoking int'l law over Greenland, yet they did not care about Serbia

ABU DHABI - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday those who were invoking international law and the UN Charter over US President Donald Trump's threats to annex Greenland had not cared about the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia or their subsequent recognitions of the so-called "Kosovo."

"I hope that, at least a little, some of them will remember 2008 and 2009, and also 1999, when they bombed us, and when they were recognising 'Kosovo' as independent in 2008 and 2009. Now they are invoking the UN Charter because they think they will always belong in the most powerful Western bloc, a united US-EU bloc," Vucic told Serbian reporters in Abu Dhabi when asked to comment on a bill on a US annexation of Greenland, tabled to the US Congress.

Now that a united Western bloc does not exist anymore, they are invoking international law and the UN, which they did not care about in the case of Serbia and other small countries willing to safeguard the UN Charter, he said.

"Some would say it is cosmic justice. We have nothing to gain from that - I am just fearful of the times we are embarking on, but people in our country need not worry," Vucic added, noting that he would invest all his knowledge and experience, as well as "enormous energy", into safeguarding Serbia.