Vucic: France sincere friend of Serbia, supports us on EU path

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday France was a sincere friend of Serbia and that Paris, once the most skeptical about EU enlargement, was now a strong advocate of not only enlargement but also of Serbia's progress on the EU path.

Speaking to Pink TV after a meeting with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, Vucic said their discussion had mostly addressed Serbia-France bilateral cooperation, which he said was going well, and added that the volume of bilateral trade had exceeded 2 bln euros in the first eleven months of last year.

He added that they had also discussed the geopolitical situation and that Serbia and France had similar or almost identical positions on some issues, while their views on some other issues were "not quite the same".

"It is good to have a sincere friend and someone who supports Serbia. Do not forget that France used to be the country that was the most skeptical about EU enlargement, and that it is now a strong advocate of not only EU enlargement but, above all, of Serbia's progress on the EU path," Vucic said.

He noted that French companies were involved in some of the most significant projects in Serbia, and highlighted a concession agreement with Vinci Airports.

He said French companies were also involved in the construction of a Belgrade metro system and many other important projects for Serbia, including waste water treatment plants, collectors and other projects.

Vucic added that the discussion with Barrot had also addressed cooperation in military technology.

"You have noticed that we do not respond to the Croats when Plenkovic and Milanovic argue about Rafales, we are doing our job in silence and we are doing what is good for Serbia, and when we do what is good for Serbia, we have a sufficient deterrent to any potential aggressor," Vucic noted.

After the meeting with Barrot, Vucic attended the signing of a joint statement on the Belgrade Metro project and a MoU on the construction of a waste water collector in Belgrade.