2024-08-28 23:02:28
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told AFP this Wednesday that he hopes to complete the much-anticipated purchase of French Rafale fighter jets this week during Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Belgrade. The business could cost several billion euros.
“It is a big deal for our country and not a small deal even for France,” the Serbian president said in an exclusive interview with AFP. He did not say how many planes were involved or the value of the deal. In the past, the Serbian Defense Minister has confirmed that his country intends to buy 12 aircraft from France to replace the aging fleet. And in 2023, President Vucic suggested that Serbia is ready to pay 3 billion euros for this transaction.
Official visit from Emmanuel Macron
“Most of our aircraft, if not all, all of our interceptor aircraft and all of our fighter aircraft are from Russia and we have to evolve, change our culture and everything else in order to prepare our army ,” said the Serbian president. If completed, this transaction will add to the series of arms contracts signed by Belgrade in Europe, China and Russia, which was made possible by the increase in the country’s military budget in the last decade.
The French president is expected this Wednesday for a two-day visit during which the two leaders are expected to sign several bilateral agreements. Serbia continues to defend its long-term goal of joining the European Union, while trying to address public concerns about the implications of such membership.
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