Macron arrives in Serbia for a two-day visit

(Patria) - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived today for a two-day visit to Serbia. He was welcomed at Belgrade Airport by the head of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.

Following a ceremonial welcome with military honours in front of the Palace of Serbia, a meeting between the two presidents is expected, as well as the exchange of bilateral agreements, reports RSE.

Both Macron and Vučić have suggested in previous public statements that one of the main topics of the meeting could be the purchase of French "Rafale" fighter jets.

Serbia and France reached an agreement on the procurement of the aircraft in April during Vučić's visit to Paris and his meeting with Macron. The finalization of the agreement was then announced for the following months.

The day before Macron's arrival, Vučić told RTS that not everything was finalized regarding military-technical cooperation and the purchase of French aircraft.

He stated that the price is no longer an issue, but rather certain guarantees, and that there is still one more thing that needs to be agreed upon.

Other topics of discussion, as announced, will include geopolitical issues, bilateral relations between Serbia and France, cooperation in the fields of economy, health, energy, culture, and artificial intelligence.

Serbian officials have also announced that a "large number of agreements" in the fields of energy, development, culture, and defense will be signed with France.

On the second day of his stay in Serbia, Macron will tomorrow unveil a plaque marking the completion of the modernization of Belgrade's "Nikola Tesla" Airport, visit the Gallery of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad, and give a speech at the Forum on Youth and Artificial Intelligence.

Macron's visit, his second in the last five years, comes less than five months after he hosted the President of Serbia in Paris.