Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told media on Monday evening that his country is interested in buying Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
President Vucic praised Bayraktar combat drones, noting that Serbia is very interested in drone systems and will certainly buy more of them in the future.
“We will see whether we will reach an agreement with the Turkish side. In any case, these are very good drones. I have to give the Turkish manufacturers their due,” Vucic told reporters at Belgrade.
Emphasizing that Serbia is a 'truly neutral country' in the military sense, Vucic said they want to defend and protect their own airspace and territory.
The Bayraktar TB2 armed UAV was developed and manufactured by Turkish defence company Baykar.
The company’s main customers are the Turkish Armed Forces and Gendarmerie. Its armed UAVs have been used in anti-terrorist operations within Turkey, but also in Turkey’s military operations in Syria.
They have been used in Libya to support the UN-recognised Libyan National Accord government. In addition to Turkey and Azerbaijan, Bayraktar armed drones are also currently being used by Ukraine and Qatar.
There are claims that TB2 UAVs have also been used by Azerbaijan in the conflict with Armenian forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Turkey and Serbia have become closer in recent years, focusing more on trade and economic cooperation.
The Serbian government acquired six Chinese combat drones in July, which reportedly made the country the first customer for Chinese drones in Europe.
