Serbia, Uzbekistan boosting friendship, building foundations of strategic partnership

BELGRADE - Serbian State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Veteran and Social Affairs Nikola Vukelic met with Uzbek Deputy FM Muzaffarbek Madrakhimov in Belgrade on Monday.

The parties noted that Serbia and Uzbekistan were strengthening their friendship and building the foundations of a strategic partnership.

They agreed that Serbia and Uzbekistan were connected by traditionally friendly and dependable partnership relations, as well as by a joint commitment to advancing them further and transforming them into a long-term strategic partnership, Vukelic's ministry said in a statement.

The parties noted that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's historic October 2025 visit to Uzbekistan had lent a strong impetus to bilateral cooperation, laying the groundwork for a new stage in development of the relations in all areas of mutual interest.

Vukelic noted that Minister of Labour, Employment and Veteran and Social Affairs Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski had visited Uzbekistan in May this year, when talks about a first Serbia-Uzbekistan labour mobility agreement were launched.

The parties agreed to step up cooperation in the coming period to prepare the text of the agreement for signing during an upcoming visit to Serbia by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Uzbekistan is one of Central Asia's fastest-growing economies and an important gateway to markets in that part of the world and, therefore, Serbia attaches great significance to developing comprehensive cooperation with that friendly state, it was said at the meeting.

Special attention was devoted to cooperation in labour migration.

It was noted that the two countries had a shared goal of establishing legal, safe and regulated migration flows, with full respect for the legislation and institutions of both countries.

Vukelic noted that, due to demographic challenges, Serbia, as Europe's fastest-growing economy in Q2 2026, was interested in hiring workers from Uzbekistan based on the principles of reciprocity, lawfulness and protection of employee rights.

The Serbian side reiterated that Belgrade highly appreciated Uzbekistan's principled position of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, including its consistent non-recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of the autonomous province of Kosovo-Metohija, as well as its continued support for Serbian interests in the international arena.