It is "positive news" that French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Serbia, said the head of the Delegation of the European Union, Emanuele Giaufret, in Belgrade on August 28, assessing the visit as an important step in Serbia’s path to the European Union.
The two-day visit, set to begin on August 29, will include a meeting between Macron and President Aleksandar Vucic and is also expected to see the signing of an armament deal to sell French fighter jets to Serbia.
Along with the signing, Macron will unveil a plaque marking the completion of modernization works at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport, visit the Matica Srpska Gallery in Novi Sad, and give a speech at the Forum on Youth and Artificial Intelligence.
"It is part of the engagement of the member countries working to strengthen bilateral relations with Serbia, and it is also important in the context of Serbia's European path," Giaufret told reporters at a school exchange program event in Belgrade, Beta agency reported.
The Elysee Palace previously announced that Macron will confirm his support for Serbia's European 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.
SEE ALSO: Serbian Deputy PM Discusses Improving Belgrade's Ties With Russia In Lavrov MeetingSerbia, 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.