site.btaSerbia, Uzbekistan Sign Cooperation Agreements in Areas Including Economy and Energy

Serbia and Uzbekistan have signed cooperation agreements in the fields of economy and energy and nine other sectors during Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s official visit to Tashkent, which began on Tuesday and will continue until Friday.

"Today, we are opening a new and dynamic chapter in relations between Serbia and Uzbekistan, with a clear agenda to strengthen comprehensive cooperation - particularly in the fields of economy, trade, energy, agriculture, culture, and technological development - while remaining committed to jointly addressing issues of mutual interest," President Vucic wrote on Instagram following the signing of the agreements.

Vucic said that during his talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, he underlined Serbia’s commitment to deepen relations through concrete projects. He added that Serbia could serve as a bridge and strong partner linking Central Asia and Europe, which, in Vucic's words, opens up enormous potential for cooperation and accelerated growth for both countries.

Mirziyoyev described the visit of the Serbian delegation led by Vucic as a historic event that marks 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Uzbekistan. He expressed confidence that the visit would open a new phase of bilateral cooperation.

The Uzbek President said that his country feels respect and sympathy for the Serbian people, noting that Uzbekistan would take part in Expo 2027 in Belgrade.

President Vucic recently said that Serbia would take independent action if a solution was not found this week to secure continued supplies for the country’s oil company NIS, which is under US sanctions due to its majority ownership by Russia’s Gazprom.

In early January, the United States announced that, because of the war in Ukraine and a "secondary risk," it would impose sanctions on NIS, Serbia’s sole oil company. Washington demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian capital from NIS but postponed the introduction of sanctions eight times.

NIS operates Serbia’s only oil refinery, located in Pancevo near Belgrade. The facility has an annual capacity of 4.8 million tons and meets most of the country’s domestic demand. The Serbian State owns 29.9% of NIS shares, while Russia’s Gazprom Neft remains the majority shareholder with 44.9%. In late September, Saint Petersburg-based company Intelligence, affiliated with Gazprom, acquired an additional 11.3% stake.