Turkey's man in Belgrade seeks to boost Serbia ties

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia

Turkey's new ambassador to Serbia told Anadolu Agency on Thursday boosting trade and ties between the two countries would be his main goal.

Tanju Bilgic began his mission in Belgrade by presenting his credentials to President Tomislav Nikolic.

Speaking afterwards, Bilgic said Serbia and Turkey were two important countries for stability in the Balkans, and that the stability of Serbia meant the stability of all regional states.

"I have seen an increasing number of important official visits between the two countries [and] developments in economics. In recent years, Turkish businessmen have discovered Serbia," Bilgic added.

The new ambassador said there was no reason to prevent the “increase and development of relations between Serbia and Turkey”.

Bilgic, a native of the Black Sea province of Gumushane, previously served as Turkey’s Consul General in the Russian city of St. Petersburg between 2011 and 2014 and was also spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2014 and 2016.

In recent years there have been a significant number of Turkish investments in Serbia.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the Yunus Emre Cultural Center (which promotes Turkey’s language and traditions), as well as Turkey's second-largest state lender -- Halkbank -- have begun operating in Serbia.

There have also been nearly 75 Turkish private investments in the country’s textiles, food and construction sectors, totaling around $110 million, Bilgic added.