PARIS (Reuters) – France hopes that Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Serbia on Thursday and Friday will be an opportunity to finalise the purchase of 12 Rafale fighter jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the Elysee Palace said on Wednesday.
The bulk of the Serbian air fleet, one of the largest in the Balkans, is made up of ageing Russian-made aircraft.
According to sources close to the matter, the contract is expected to be worth around three billion euros. While the Elysée confirmed the figure of 12 planes, it declined to discuss the type of aircraft involved or the amount of the contract.
Last year, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić told Reuters that Belgrade would be willing to spend around three billion euros ($3.3 billion) to buy 12 Rafales.
Emmanuel Macron is expected on Thursday in Serbia, a candidate country for entry into the European Union, in response to the official visit of his Serbian counterpart to Paris last April.
This visit aims to “deepen the relationship and bilateral cooperation in the areas of economy, health, energy, and culture,” the Elysée announced last week.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, writing by Kate Entringer, editing by Zhifan Liu)
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