An agreement for the purchase of Rafale fighters was signed in Belgrade by Presidents Macron and Vucic. The French president spoke of a “change in strategy” by Serbia
An agreement for the purchase of twelve French Rafale fighter jets was signed in Belgrade on Thursday evening by French President Emmanuel Macron and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic. At the joint press conference, President Macron referred to Serbia as a “change of strategy” and an “opportunity for Europe”.
According to the manufacturer Dassault, the agreement provides for the purchase of 9 single-seat and 3 two-seat Rafales until 2029, worth 2.7 billion euros. It should be noted that the French fighter, which has also been procured by Greece, is a multi-mission aircraft, since it can equally pursue enemy planes, attack targets on land and sea or carry out reconnaissance flights.
At the joint press conference after the signing of the defense agreement, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said: “For the first time in the history of Serbia, we are acquiring Western-made fighters, aircraft that will protect the skies of our country. I think that with this purchase we are on the right track to deepen France-Serbia relations.”
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The purchase of French fighters from Serbia is of particular interest, since Serbia maintains, as is well known, strong ties with Russia. We remind you that the EU has repeatedly called on Belgrade to implement the sanctions imposed on Moscow, but to no avail.
Apparently for this reason President Macron called the Rafale purchase a turning point: “Of course I respect the national sovereignty of Serbia. It also has other partners, with whom it maintains historical ties. However, this supply represents an opening, a courageous change of strategy, which at the same time represents an opportunity for Europe. Serbia is truly showing European spirit.”
In the preamble to the defense agreement, circles in the French government had stated according to the French news agency AFP that the sale of the Rafale was aimed at bringing Serbia and the European Union closer together. In addition to the Rafale agreement, the Macron-Vucic talks focus, among other things, on cooperation in the use of nuclear energy. We note that in the last 12 years, France has tripled the volume of its trade with Serbia. The renovation of the Belgrade International Airport falls within this framework. Within the next period, French companies will start the construction of the Belgrade metro.
dpa, AFP, AFPTV
Source :Skai
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