Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze met in Belgrade on Thursday.
They discussed “bilateral relations” and “agreed it was important that the leaderships of Serbia and Ukraine support the territorial integrity of both countries,” Tanjug reported, quoting a statement issued by the Serbian government.
Vucic said he “hoped to see the economic relations enhanced, noting that the volume of trade had increased in 2016, but insufficiently so considering the economic potentials of the two countries.”
He also “noted that efforts must be made to boost tourism, in particular following the introduction of direct Air Serbia flights from Belgrade to Kiev.”
Vucic and Klympush-Tsintsadze “stressed a need for signing a free trade agreement,” the statement said.
Klympush-Tsintsadze said both countries shared the objective of EU membership, noting the significance of mutual support on the path towards the EU.
A business forum to be held in Kiev in October was also discussed at the meeting, the statement said.
While in Belgrade, the Ukrainian official will also be received by Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and National Assembly President Maja Gojkovic.
In an interview for the N1 broadcaster, carried by Bete agency, Klympush-Tsintsadze said that Ukraine will not recognize Kosovo, but that it supports the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the forming of the Community of Serb Municipalities.
“We are proud of our soldiers in KFOR. They have been there for a long time, and in even more difficult times in the past they guarded the Serb holy places in Kosovo. I hope the Brussels agreement will be a guarantee of better stability and security for all people in that territory, including Serbs,” she said.
Klympush-Tsintsadze said that relations between Serbia and Ukraine “have not been intensive in previous years” but that she “hopes for better economic and cultural cooperation, especially after the establishment of Belgrade-Kiev flights.”
“We plan a business forum of Serbian and Ukrainian businesspeople for October in Kiev. We are all striving toward the EU, we have a broad regional approach, our experiences could serve as examples to one another,” she has been quoted as saying.
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