Türkiye and Serbia agreed to expand cooperation across defence, foreign policy and economic relations following talks between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Aleksandar Vučić in Ankara.
In a joint statement released after the meeting, the two leaders welcomed what they described as steady progress in bilateral ties in recent years, built on the Joint Political Declaration establishing the High-Level Cooperation Council signed in 2017.
They noted that four meetings of the High-Level Cooperation Council so far have helped set new shared objectives and add momentum to the partnership.
The statement said the talks took place at a time of heightened regional and global uncertainty, with the leaders reviewing bilateral relations and exchanging views on international developments.
The two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in foreign policy, defence industry, trade and investment, culture, tourism, education, energy, transport, connectivity, advanced technologies and environmental issues.
The leaders welcomed the fact that bilateral trade reached $3.5 billion in 2025 and reiterated their goal of increasing the figure to $5 billion in the coming years.
They also highlighted record levels of reciprocal tourism and the role of people-to-people contacts in strengthening ties.
The statement commended the activities of Turkish construction and contracting firms involved in infrastructure projects in Serbia, particularly in transport and energy.
It was decided that the next meeting of the Türkiye-Serbia Joint Economic Commission will be held at the earliest opportunity. The two sides also agreed to accelerate the work of the Türkiye-Serbia Business Council, established in 2002, to further support trade and investment.
Türkiye and Serbia expressed satisfaction with the first two meetings of the Balkan Peace Platform, held in July 2025 and January 2026, and underlined the importance of EXPO 2027 in Belgrade for regional economic growth and cooperation.
The two leaders reiterated their determination to increase cooperation in the defence industry, as previously agreed during the fourth High-Level Cooperation Council meeting in Belgrade in October 2024.
They also agreed to take steps to accelerate cooperation in civil aviation, culture and tourism, and emphasised that regular high-level visits would continue to strengthen relations.
The next High-Level Cooperation Council meeting will be held at the earliest opportunity, the statement said.
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The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
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