Vucic: Serbia-Kazakhstan cooperation can be improved

ASTANA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday in Astana Serbia-Kazakhstan cooperation could be improved in many fields, and thanked his counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for awarding him Kazakhstan's top state honour, the Order of the Golden Eagle, noting that it did not merely represent a privilege, but an obligation to work with commitment on making bilateral cooperation even better in the future.

"I am not pleased with what both I and my people have done, we have not been working with enough commitment to keep up with agreements made at previous meetings but, this time, that will not be the case. We will prepare your visit to Serbia in the most appropriate way and we will solve all outstanding issues," Vucic, who is on a two-day official visit to Kazakhstan, told Tokayev.

Serbia wants to receive more visits by Kazakh citizens, as well as projects that could be leading projects in Serbia and the region alike, Vucic said.

"At the same time, I would like to see construction companies and investors in our country as that will make Serbia richer not only financially and in terms of investments, but also culturally, and because it will bring even more Kazakh citizens to our country," Vucic said.

He added that he would do everything to encourage more Serbian investors to invest in Kazakhstan.

"I believe military technology, artificial intelligence and data centres are areas where we can cooperate and advance and increase the level of cooperation," Vucic said.

He also thanked Tokayev for his exceptional hospitality, which he noted could not be seen anywhere in the world.

"Thank you very much - I wish all the best to the people of Kazakhstan. You are doing an exceptional job for your country. Whenever I come to Astana, I see something new, and I congratulate you on that. Around the world, you have become a symbol of progress, and I would like to host you in Belgrade and Serbia as soon as possible," Vucic told Tokayev.

Tokayev: Serbia a dependable partner to Kazakhstan in Belkan region

ASTANA - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday in Astana Serbia was a dependable partner to Kazakhstan in the Balkan region, and noted that strong friendship, mutual support and shared interests were the foundation of cooperation between the two countries.

Tokayev was speaking at a press conference with Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic, after a ceremony at which their countries exchanged bilateral documents on cooperation.

He said agreements reached during his visit to Belgrade two and a half years ago were being implemented successfully.

Tokayev noted that Vucic was visiting Kazakhstan in a year that marked 30 years since the establishment of Serbia-Kazakhstan diplomatic relations and that the two countries had a political dialogue based on mutual trust.

"It was established between Kazakhstan and Serbia at all levels. A strong contractual legal framework we have formed has led to our governments working well. Inter-parliamentary cooperation has become stronger, cooperation in trade and the economy has been intensified and we have achieved really significant success in the fields of culture and inter-state cooperation.

Our cooperation within international organisations is also exceptionally deep, and the president of Serbia has made a substantial contribution to that progress, which we appreciate very highly," Tokayev said. He added that, for that reason, he had awarded Kazakhstan's top state honour, the Order of the Golden Eagle, to Vucic as a token of special respect and sincere gratitude of the people of Kazakhstan to the president and the people of Serbia.

"I am certain that our partnership, based on unwavering friendship and mutual support, will continue to strengthen," Tokayev said.

He added that his meeting with Vucic had comprehensively addressed cooperation in transport, logistics, the energy sector, industry, agriculture, IT, artificial intelligence and culture.

He said they had also discussed humanitarian affairs and reached a general agreement on them, also placing special emphasis on a need to boost trade, economic and investment cooperation.

Tokayev also said Kazakhstan was ready to create favourable conditions for Serbian entrepreneurs.

"Direct flights between Astana and Belgrade were established last year, and that is another step to further development of our cooperation. We also discussed efficient use of the transit potential, the Trans-Caspian Corridor, and opening of new routes for that type of cooperation. We also want to strengthen partnership in infrastructure. We also instructed the relevant ministries to identify concrete mechanisms for that cooperation. When it comes to the energy sector, we agreed to intensify cooperation in mining and processing of critical minerals and to contribute to production, we examined opportunities for experience-sharing in the field of nuclear energy, which would be used for peaceful purposes," Tokayev said, adding that cooperation in the defence industry had been discussed as well.

He noted that Kazakhstan was ready to participate in the specialised EXPO 2027 in Belgrade and share its experiences.

"Generally speaking, today's discussions were successful and we adopted a joint statement. We signed a large number of very important documents that will lend a new impetus to further cooperation. There is no doubt that the agreements will further strengthen the relations between our two countries," Tokayev said.

He also concluded that he and Vucic had also exchanged views on international and regional affairs, as well as on a deterioration of the global political situation and a growing number of conflicts.

The two countries hold similar positions, he said.

"We believe that the UN Charter and the principles of international law must be respected strictly. We believe that all conflicts need to be resolved through diplomatic means and dialogue. We also agreed to continue joint efforts at international level in the future as well to work together efficiently and make an active contribution to guaranteeing peace and stability," Tokayev said.

Vucic, Tokayev discuss further strengthening of comprehensive bilateral cooperation

ASTANA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met on Friday in Astana with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to review the results of cooperation to date and set guidelines for further strengthening of comprehensive bilateral cooperation.

"A magnificent welcome given to me by President Tokayev is not only an honour and a rare privilege for me, but also a special obligation to do everything to strengthen the relations with Kazakhstan," Vucic posted on Instagram.

He added that they had discussed ways to make the most of the potential to advance economic relations and spur new investments in key sectors.

"We placed special focus on the energy sector, where we see significant space for cooperation in the field of developing new projects of mutual interest," Vucic noted. In an era of strong digital transformation and innovation, application of artificial intelligence in education, business and industry - where Kazakhstan is seeing fascinating progress - was an unavoidable topic, he added.

"I invited President Tokayev to visit Serbia again, which would be a special honour for us," Vucic concluded.

After the meeting with Tokayev, Vucic also met with Kazakh PM Olzhas Bektenov in the government building in Astana.

Vucic, Bektenov discuss implementation of signed agreements, future projects

ASTANA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met on Friday in Astana with Kazakh PM Olzhas Bektenov to discuss implementation of signed agreements and future joint projects.

"With Kazakh PM Olzhas Bektenov, I discussed practical aspects of cooperation, implementation of the numerous agreements we have signed, as well as future joint projects, their coordination and the potential to expand the cooperation. I was pleased to note that we have set firm political foundations as the basis for concrete and measurable results in many fields," Vucic posted on Instagram.

He added that they had also discussed current international economic and political trends, as well as challenges that could be transformed into opportunities to position the two countries firmly in the global arena.