Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed his gratitude to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for her support for Serbia's European path, after a meeting between them for several hours in the Serbian capital Belgrade last night, BTA reported.
Vucic said in a post on his Instagram account that he thanked Meloni for "Italy's principled support, especially when it comes to European integration and the EXPO 2027 exhibition".
The Serbian president said that confirming Italy's participation in the international specialized exhibition, which Serbia will host in 2027, "does not mean just the arrival of a country at the exhibition", but "support, partnership and trust".
Vučić also assessed that Serbia "extremely values relations with Italy, not only as a political partner, but also as a true friend who understands our values, traditions and aspirations".
"Serbia and Italy stand shoulder to shoulder on the path of development and stability of the entire region", he stressed.
Vučić welcomed Meloni at the "Nikola Tesla" airport earlier this evening, followed by a dinner that did not end with a joint press conference.
The Italian prime minister canceled a planned visit to Serbia earlier this year. After today's visit to Belgrade, she will return to Rome this evening, the Serbian edition of Radio Free Europe reported.
According to preliminary information, the focus of the talks between Meloni and Vucic was the process of Serbia's accession to the European Union and Belgrade's cooperation with NATO.
The Italian Prime Minister was in Belgrade at the end of 2023, when he discussed with Vucic the situation in the region, bilateral cooperation and Serbia's European path.