Vucic extends birthday wishes to Erdogan, invites him to visit Serbia

ASTANA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke by phone on Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to whom he extended best wishes for his 72nd birthday, and said he expected him to pay an exceptionally important visit to Belgrade and Serbia soon.

In a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram profile, Vucic wrote that he had wished Erdogan good health and much success in performing his responsible duties at the helm of Turkey in challenging times.

"I reiterated my gratitude for the exceptional hospitality he showed during my visit to Ankara, and I noted that I especially appreciate the time we devoted to substantial and thorough discussions on issues of mutual interest, which will further help us to shape the future of our political and economic cooperation to the benefit of business communities and our citizens," Vucic noted.

He added that he had invited Erdogan to visit Belgrade soon.

"I told President Erdogan I expect him to pay an exceptionally important visit to Belgrade and Serbia soon and expressed the hope that I would be able to, at least in part, return the hospitality he gave me," Vucic also posted.

The Serbian president is on a two-day official visit to Kazakhstan at the invitation of his Kazakh counterpart Kassym Jomart Tokayev.