Macron arrives in Serbia today: Vučić wants 12 Rafales, France cautious

(Patria) - French President Emmanuel Macron arrives today for a two-day visit to Serbia, during which he will discuss numerous topics with President Aleksandar Vučić.

Macron, who is expected to land in Belgrade around 6 p.m., will have a meeting with Vučić this evening, who will first host a ceremonial welcome in front of the Palace "Serbia".

Following the meeting between Macron and Vučić, representatives of Serbia and France will sign several bilateral documents in the presence of the two leaders.

Tomorrow, Macron will visit the Gallery of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad and deliver a speech at the Forum on Youth and Artificial Intelligence, and at the end of his visit to Serbia, he will unveil a plaque marking the completion of the modernization works at Belgrade's "Nikola Tesla" Airport.

The Élysée Palace announced that Macron will confirm support for Serbia's European integration in Belgrade and that his visit will be an opportunity to discuss with Vučić issues related to the economy, healthcare, energy, culture, and artificial intelligence.

Macron and Vučić are expected to discuss France's support for Serbia's transition to a green economy, the participation of French companies in the construction of the Belgrade metro, Belgrade Airport, and other topics.

One of the more important topics of the meeting will be Serbia's effort to purchase French multi-role Rafale fighter jets, which the two sides also discussed in April during Vučić's visit to Paris.

A day before Macron's arrival, Vučić told RTS that "nothing is finished yet" regarding the purchase of Rafale jets, stating that the obstacle is no longer the price, but certain guarantees.

"That would be a big thing for us, because it would mean enormous progress in the combat readiness and military power of Serbia. We are not causing problems anywhere, nor do we plan to. We only want to preserve our country, and this would make Serbia many times stronger. We have one more thing we disagree on. It is no longer a question of price, it is a question of certain guarantees. We have been struggling with this for four days," Vučić said.

Vučić said that the contract could be worth several billion euros, but did not specify the number of aircraft involved.

"Most of our aircraft, if not all, all of our interceptor jets and all of our combat aircraft came from Russia. Now we have to change our habits and everything else to prepare our army," he stated.

Earlier this week, Vučić said that Serbia is also working on reaching an agreement with a French electricity company to avoid problems with electricity in 10 years.

Asked to comment on claims that Macron's visit to Serbia means reaching an agreement on the storage of nuclear waste in Serbia, Vučić said he "does not believe anyone is naive enough to believe that."

"That has not been discussed; we have laws that prevent it," Vučić stated.

One of the topics of discussion should also be the issue of Kosovo. Asked whether he expects a change in the situation regarding the main bridge on the Ibar after Macron's visit, Vučić said that the positions of France, the US, and others are "firm on that issue."

When he was in Paris on April 8 and 9, Vučić praised Macron in front of the Élysée Palace, but also disputed his claims that both Belgrade and Pristina had "done something" in the dialogue, stating that the Kosovo authorities had done nothing.

Serbia and France have developed economic cooperation. More than 80 percent of French investments in the Western Balkans are in Serbia. Serbia exchanges goods and services worth more than two billion euros annually with France. Over 100 French companies operate in Serbia, employing around 12,000 workers.

Macron was first on an official visit to Serbia in July 2019, when the two countries marked 180 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.