French President Emmanuel Macron began a landmark state visit to Serbia on August 29 with the signing of an agreement on the purchase of 12 Rafale multipurpose fighter jets, which he said represented a shift toward Europe.
Shortly after Macron arrived in Belgrade, Serbia signed a contract to purchase the warplanes from France's Dassault Aviation. Under the agreement, Serbia will receive nine single-seat and three two-seat Rafale jets by 2029, according to Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the deal was worth 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion). Serbia will pay tranches of 420 million euros in 2024 and 2025 for the Rafale jets, he said.
Macron described the agreement as historically significant. The European Union needs a strong and democratic Serbia, he said, and the decision to purchase the fighter jets is a strategic and long-term choice in that direction.
"I see so many people criticizing Serbia for having partnerships with Russia or China, and now it has a partnership with France. This is truly a major change," he said in response to a question posed at a news conference.
"I respect Serbia's sovereignty and its partnerships with other countries, but this is an opening -- a strategic change that must be emphasized because it takes great courage and is a chance for Europe. This truly shows a European spirit," Macron added.
Vucic said the purchase doesn't mean that Serbia will change its stance on joining EU sanctions imposed on Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"I know that [Macron] would like us to impose sanctions on Russia...but we have not done it, and we are not ashamed of our decision," Vucic said. He added that he didn't feel compelled to justify his decision because he explains his political moves directly to the Serb people.
Vucic reiterated Serbia's commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, describing it as a "friendly nation" and affirming that Belgrade has taken no hostile actions against it.
Following the meeting between the two presidents, memorandums and agreements on cooperation between Serbia and France in the fields of energy, defense, ecology, and culture were signed.
"We have an agreement between our governments and 11 other agreements that enable us to deepen our cooperation, strengthen our ties, and improve our capacities," Macron said, noting that cooperation between Serbia and France has been "increasingly strong" in recent years.
"Our economic cooperation has strengthened, we are engaged in long-term infrastructure projects, and our international relations have experienced a new upswing," Macron said, adding that France wants Serbia to make progress in its negotiations on joining the European Union.
Macron's two-day visit will include further meetings with Serbia's populist nationalist president, during which they are expected to discuss Belgrade's progress toward integration into the European Union and cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence.
Macron will also unveil a plaque marking the completion of modernization works at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport; travel to Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, to visit the Gallery of Matica Srpska, one of the largest and oldest art galleries in Serbia; and give a speech at the Forum on Youth and Artificial Intelligence.
Macron's speech at the forum is seen as recognition of Serbia's progress in the burgeoning AI industry.
"Serbia's international credibility in the field of AI was recognized through its successful candidacy for the presidency of the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence 2025," the French Embassy told RFE/RL on August 29. The Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) is an international initiative founded in 2020.
The Elysee Palace previously announced that Macron will confirm his support for Serbia's EU integration and that his visit will be an opportunity to talk with Vucic about the economy, health care, energy, culture, and artificial intelligence.
Macron's visit comes less than five months after he hosted the Serbian president in Paris. It will be the second visit of the French president to Serbia in the last five years, following the strengthening of relations between the two countries.
Serbia, which has been a candidate for membership in the European Union since 2012, has irritated the European Union by maintaining ties with Russia during its war of aggression against Ukraine and by refusing to impose sanctions on Moscow over its war.
The European Union told Serbia on August 15 that this behavior is not compatible with EU values and the accession process. Brussels also said the EU "wants to count on all candidate countries as reliable European partners for common principles, values, security, and prosperity."
The reaction followed meetings between Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin and Kremlin officials in Moscow along with claims of intelligence cooperation with Russia.
While in Moscow, Vulin repeated that he is proud that Serbia is "not part of the anti-Russian hysteria" and has not joined the Western sanctions imposed in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.