Thewesternbalkans
French President Emmanuel Macron is on an official visit to Serbia on August 29 and 30 at the invitation of his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic. 12 bilateral cooperation documents have been signed between the two countries in various fields: economy and finance, energy, ecology, mining, education, tourism, innovation, medicine and military cooperation. The most important is the agreement on the purchase from Serbia of French Rafale combat aircraft and accompanying goods and services. The contract for 12 new aircraft is worth 2.7 billion Euros – the biggest deal in Serbian history.
Vucic noted that the visit is very important for Serbia and that the purchase of Rafale is a big event for Serbia, and Ana Brnabic emphasized that the visit increases the importance of Serbia.
French President Emmanuel Macron noted that in the last five years, the international relations and partnership between France and Serbia have undergone a new upswing. “I respect the sovereignty of Serbia and its partnership with other countries. This is an indicator of the European spirit. We have safeguards to preserve our intellectual achievements. Rest assured that we have done everything right. This contributes to peace in Europe,” he addressed Vučić.
Comment: France is one of the 10 largest investors in Serbia, and over 80% of French investments in the Western Balkans are in Serbia. Among the topics discussed between the two presidents were most likely the lithium problem, Serbia’s position in relation to Russia, and also the situation in Kosovo.
Serbia is increasing its geopolitical importance, after the visit of the Chinese leader Xi Jinping in May and the current visit of Macron; the cooperation with Russia is not advertised as much. Recent visits to Belgrade by CIA Director William Burns and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Boris Ruge underscore the growing focus on Serbia, on which the region’s security or instability depends.
Buying military aircraft from Serbia has strategic importance. The already documented intention to purchase Rafale the most modern version F4 is a step to orientate towards NATO military equipment. After the eventual implementation of the contract, which is expected to be by 2028-30 at the earliest, Serbia will be dependent on French spare parts and ammunition and on the American GPS system. As Greece and Croatia already have Rafale (24 and 12 respectively), the Serbian deal reinforces the strategic export potential of France in the Balkans.
Foto: Dassault
