Minister: Serbia committed to making every possible effort to enhance partnership with Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan and Serbia continue to develop their bilateral relations. On July 25, another meeting of the intergovernmental commission will be held in Baku, which will discuss economic issues, including transport, trade, energy, and so on, as well as the development of cultural and other humanitarian ties. In anticipation of the commission meeting, the co-chair from the Serbian side, Minister of Culture of Serbia Nikola Selakovic, in an interview with Report, spoke about the trends in the development of relations between the two countries.

- What documents will be prepared for signing within the framework of the intergovernmental commission?

- Presenting the new composition of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, I wish to confirm our ongoing commitment to the comprehensive improvement of relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. In this way, our traditional friendship and closeness, founded on the vision of our state leadership, President Aleksandar Vučić and President Ilham Aliyev, receive the most concrete expression in numerous areas. In the spirit of the Declaration on Friendship and Strategic Partnership, as well as the Joint Action Plan on Strategic Partnership between the two countries, we affirm the fundamental norms and principles of international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Specifically, at the 8th session of the Intergovernmental Commission, we will sign a Protocol that includes a development plan for our cooperation in numerous areas such as construction, infrastructure, transportation, trade, investments, agriculture, energy, healthcare, education, culture, tourism, and youth, as well as in the field of labour, social protection, and improving the status of persons with disabilities, through an exceptionally large number of substantial initiatives and projects.

- Are the terms of opening direct air communication between Baku and Belgrade known?

- As the national airline, Air Serbia plans to expand its operations to the Caucasus region. One of the first destinations would be Baku, considering the overall importance of air transport for international connections between states and individuals, coupled with the fact that the flow of people between Serbia and Azerbaijan is no longer burdened by visas, that establishing direct flights is one of the prerequisites for the development of the economy and tourism, and that both Belgrade and Baku can serve as bridges for our people to other destinations.

By signing and ratifying the Air Transport Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the basic condition for establishing air traffic has been met. The aforementioned agreement thoroughly regulates all aspects of providing air services between the two countries.

Taking into account the distance and duration of the flight from Belgrade to Baku, establishing a direct route entails additional capacity.

In this regard, considerations for a direct flight to Baku can be examined at the beginning of 2026, having in mind the complexity of technical issues.

Additionally, if there is interest from Azerbaijani carriers in establishing services to Belgrade, Air Serbia is ready to openly support the flights through the establishment of code-sharing cooperation.

- How do you assess the cooperation in the gas sector between Baku and Belgrade? To what extent have gas supplies influenced the provision of Serbia's domestic demand?

- The cooperation between Serbia and Azerbaijan in energy is particularly important because it has a long-term character and concerns one of the most important issues in today's world, which is energy security and safety, equating to national security. The importance of connecting energy infrastructure between countries rich in natural gas and those that are large consumers of this energy source was recognized long before the energy crisis, but the full potential of cooperation in this field is far from fully exploited.

According to estimates, the consumption of natural gas in Serbia will significantly increase by the end of the decade, which is why we have recognized the need to further connect with neighbouring countries through gas interconnections. With the completion of construction and the commencement of trial operation of the Serbia-Bulgaria interconnection in December 2023, in the presence of Presidents Aleksandar Vučić and Ilham Aliyev, we gained the opportunity to connect to the Southern Gas Corridor through the Bulgaria-Greece interconnection.

Serbia actively joined the Southern Gas Corridor project in a later phase, but we have worked rapidly to become part of this great value chain that helps participating countries improve their energy security and conditions for economic growth.

By connecting to the Southern Gas Corridor, the Republic of Serbia diversifies its supply routes and connects with gas sources from the Caspian region and the Middle East, as well as with the LNG terminal in the Greek port of Alexandroupolis.

Of course, there is mutual interest in cooperating on the construction of new gas power plants in the Republic of Serbia, which would produce electricity for the domestic market.

- Is Serbia considering participation in the Black Sea Green Energy Cable project?

- In this context, it is essential to bear in mind that incorporating cooperation in the field of green energy opens up new possibilities for collaboration in the green transition process through investments in renewable energy sources (RES) and the development of energy infrastructure.

Serbia shares the European Union's vision for achieving carbon neutrality and is working on creating the conditions for building new energy capacities from RES through the development of strategic documents and the improvement of the legislative framework, which will significantly contribute to our energy independence and energy security in the future.

We are also considering various options for securing sufficient base energy, which includes possibilities for building power plants that use gas as a transitional energy source.

In addition to investing in new production capacities and increasing energy efficiency, the priority is building the transmission network to our neighbours through projects such as the Trans-Balkan Corridor. This is important for greater supply security, integrating new RES capacities, and developing the electricity market in the region.

In this sense, we are carefully monitoring all initiatives that can contribute to better market connectivity and greater energy security in the region, such as the agreement signed between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary regarding the supply of green energy to the EU through a new underwater cable beneath the Black Sea.

- How do you assess the level of trade between our countries and what, in your opinion, is the level of investment cooperation? Is there any interest in expanding this cooperation?

- The political relations between our two countries have reached historic heights in recent years. It was a joint decision at a high level to elevate our bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership based on shared values and common interests. The strategic partnership was established in 2013 when the Declaration on Friendly Relations and Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed, and it was later reaffirmed with the adoption of the Joint Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategic Partnership and the introduction of the Strategic Partnership Council in 2018 and 2022.

There is immense potential for the further development of bilateral economic cooperation and trade levels between our two countries, which could be enhanced in line with traditionally good political relations. Both nations recognize this and are working on improving their economic interactions. T

The level of investment cooperation can also be improved, and interest has been expressed multiple times from both sides. The macroeconomic and fiscal stability of the Republic of Serbia creates a positive environment for foreign direct investments. The Government of Serbia is creating an incentivizing investment and business environment to attract new direct investments. The Azerbaijani company AzVirt is involved in road infrastructure projects in Serbia, representing an example of the potential for economic cooperation. Regarding the level of investment cooperation between our two countries, the ongoing EXPO2027 project, valued at €17.8 billion and consisting of 323 individual projects in the Republic of Serbia, provides a significant opportunity for Azerbaijani companies interested in working here to actively participate. The Republic of Serbia is committed to making every possible effort to enhance our partnership with the Republic of Azerbaijan and to develop our overall, especially economic, relations to the mutual benefit.

- Are Serbian companies interested in realization of projects on Karabakh and East Zangazur reconstruction?

- There is interest among Serbian construction companies in participating in the reconstruction.

The most effective approach to this issue is to consider whether there are specific projects proposed for implementation, which could be discussed with Serbian companies.

In this regard, the role of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce would be crucial. It often involves identifying the needs and determining the interests of Serbian companies to generally engage in certain territories abroad.

- How do you assess the level of development of cultural and humanitarian ties between Azerbaijan and Serbia?

- The cultural ties between Serbia and Azerbaijan are of exceptional importance to our overall relations and their further development, on which we work diligently and devotedly. In the realm of culture, from rich cultural heritage and the culture of remembrance, through the nurturing of traditions and customs, to contemporary creativity in the fields of literature, music, film, painting, and sculpture, Serbia and Azerbaijan expand and deepen mutual understanding and closeness in the best possible way. All these forms of cooperation are much more than merely presenting one culture to another. In this exchange, alongside recognizing universal motives and values that take on a unique form in each culture, new inspirations, mutual encouragement, and discoveries arise. This opens up space for the mutual interweaving and blending of cultural expressions in the originality of creativity. This is the most precious result we strive for: for cultural interactions to lead to new content.

There is a good foundation for this further development of cooperation in the vision of our highest state leadership, which gives particularly strong support to cultural cooperation, based on a clear understanding of its long-term significance.

At the same time, good support comes from agreements – treaties and memoranda in the field of culture between our two countries, as well as between our cultural institutions, libraries, museums, and others. We will continue to develop this basis of our cooperation to create the best framework for all creators and participants to meet and work together. I am deeply convinced that, in this way, the field of culture will become the most fertile and effective area for strengthening the humanitarian ties between our countries and peoples.