Aleksandar Vučić Photo: press service of the President of Uzbekistan
Serbia has offered Uzbekistan cooperation in the defense industry, including the possible production of long-range ballistic missiles, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said, according to his press service.
Speaking at the Uzbek-Serbian business forum in Belgrade on September 8, Vučić said Serbia had already established production of short-range missiles after receiving a technology transfer from “one of the powers.”
He said the country could begin producing long-range missiles within a year and was prepared to offer Uzbekistan a partnership in the defense sector.
“We rarely tell people in Serbia about this, but we have achieved serious technological and industrial progress. In the future, we intend to develop this sector and are ready to cooperate with our friends from Uzbekistan in this field,” Vučić said.
Serbia’s defense industry is regarded as the largest in the Western Balkans. About 200 enterprises operate in the country, producing armored vehicles, ammunition, missiles and drones. According to UN data, Serbia has exported nearly 18,000 rockets for multiple-launch rocket systems in recent years, along with substantial volumes of small arms and anti-tank weapons. The main buyers were Bulgaria, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
For his part, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, speaking at the business forum in Belgrade, identified five priority areas for cooperation with Serbian businesses:
- Mechanical and electrical engineering.
- Pharmaceuticals.
- The textile industry.
- Agriculture.
- IT and the digital economy.
Mirziyoyev invited several Serbian companies to work with Uzbek partners, including engineering firm Gosa FOM, pharmaceutical manufacturers Galenika and Abela Pharm, and light-industry companies Yumco and Luss Textile.
He also proposed establishing joint agricultural clusters in Uzbekistan and invited Serbian companies to take part in International ICT Week Uzbekistan, scheduled for late September in Tashkent. A separate bilateral business forum is expected to be held alongside the event.
The Uzbek president said he had decided to open an office of a special diplomatic mission in Belgrade before Uzbekistan formally establishes an embassy in Serbia. Diplomats are expected to arrive next week to help local companies develop commercial ties with Uzbek businesses, he said.
Mirziyoyev added that he had instructed relevant officials to accelerate the launch of direct flights between Tashkent and Belgrade.
Earlier, it was reported that the two sides were developing a free-trade agreement. Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, Laziz Kudratov, said the agreement would establish zero tariffs on all goods on a reciprocal basis, creating favorable conditions for increasing bilateral trade.
On September 7–8, Mirziyoyev made the first-ever visit by an Uzbek president to Serbia. During the trip, he and Vučić signed a Joint Declaration establishing a strategic partnership. The sides also endorsed several bilateral documents covering areas ranging from industry and the digital economy to labor migration and logistics.
