Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz praised relations with Serbia as he attended a reception in Ankara hosted by the Serbian Embassy on Monday.

"We view Serbia as a country essential for the stability of the Balkans and believe that Turkish-Serbian relations would have good consequences for the region,” he said.

Yılmaz recalled Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s visit to Türkiye last February and noted that it was an important step in empowering bilateral relations. Yılmaz noted that he hosted Serbian Prime Minister Duro Macut during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Türkiye earlier this month and said his meeting focused on joint steps to strengthen bilateral relations.

Yılmaz noted Türkiye would be represented well in Expo 2027, which will be hosted by Serbia, and the event would provide opportunities for reinforcing bilateral commercial and cultural ties.

The vice president stated that the trade volume between the two countries rose to $3.4 billion in 2025, and both countries’ leaders set a goal of increasing it to $5 billion. He noted that Turkish contractors reached a business volume of $2 billion in Serbia.

"We also see benefits in enhancing our cooperation in the defense industry,” he said.