Erdogan announces defence cooperation with Serbia

Turkey and Serbia on Friday announced stepped up military cooperation during a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Belgrade on Friday.

In a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Erdogan hailed a "golden age" in ties while Vucic said Serbia was working to strengthen relations with an "important power" like Turkey.

"Turkey's capabilities in unmanned aerial vehicles will also be part of the steps we will take (for defence cooperation)... Serbia has its own capabilities today and we have ours. We will evaluate these as two friendly countries," Erdogan told a press conference.

Vucic said Serbia had recently renewed export licenses to Turkey after a long break.

Erdogan arrived in Belgrade from Albania as part of a mini-Balkan tour. In Tirana, he promised a "significant" donation of attack drones and attended the opening of a mosque funded by Turkey.

Turkey’s diplomatic comeback in Serbia began with Erdogan’s 2017 visit to Belgrade. This marks his fourth visit since then, with relations continuing to improve.

The five-century Ottoman presence in Serbia has historically weighed on ties, alongside Turkey’s close relationship with Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 -- a move Belgrade still refuses to recognise.