Serbia, Uzbekistan seek free trade deal, direct flights

Uzbekistan will take part in EXPO 2027 in Belgrade with its own national pavilion and an extensive cultural programme, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

According to Uzbek media, Mirziyoyev made the remarks during a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at the Palace of Serbia.

He said he was confident that his visit, the first by an Uzbek president to Serbia, would provide fresh momentum and a new quality to bilateral relations.

“The fact that almost the entire Serbian government is represented here at the negotiating table is symbolically significant,” Mirziyoyev said, adding that his team had informed him that the talks were taking place at the highest level and that important and productive meetings had already been held.

Mirziyoyev also praised Serbia’s regional policy, expressing confidence that Vučić’s leadership and integration efforts in the Western Balkans would contribute to strengthening peace, stability and sustainability in the region and help put it on a path toward prosperity.

For his part, Vučić said Serbia and Uzbekistan should establish a free trade regime and launch direct flights between Belgrade and Tashkent as soon as possible.

Speaking at a meeting of the Serbian and Uzbek delegations, he said the two countries had the potential to expand cooperation across all areas of public life.

Vučić also praised Uzbekistan’s development under Mirziyoyev’s leadership, saying Serbia admired the country’s achievements and wanted to strengthen cooperation with it.

He expressed hope that bilateral relations would continue to develop, while calling for expanded industrial cooperation. He identified the textile industry as a priority, followed by agriculture, advanced technologies, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, transport connectivity, logistics and the defence industry.

Stabil.Az