Vucic: I’m jealous of Aliyev, I only get called about Kosovo

Tanjug/Zoran Žestić

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday for talks with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic.

The two presidents had a bilateral meeting before the two delegations signed seven documents that are intended to upgrade the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The documents include a memorandum to form a Strategic Partnership Council, a readmission agreement, a social security agreement and memorandums of understanding between the two countries development agencies and chambers of commerce.

An N1 reporter said that both delegations include the ministers of foreign and internal affairs, economy and energy.

Vucic and Aliyev told a joint media conference following the signing of the documents that the two countries support each other in the international arena because they both have to protect their territorial integrity.

Aliyev said that four UN Security Council resolutions that called for the Armenian army to leave Nagorno-Karabakh were not implemented for 28 years, because of which Azerbaijan had to restore sovereignty over those territories by force.

Azerbaijan’s President said natural gas and electricity are the new opportunities for cooperation with Serbia.

Vucic said Aliyev has become the most popular president in Europe and that now everyone has time for him because they need Azerbaijani natural gas.

„I’m a little jealous of him. They only call me about Kosovo, when someone needs to hit me on the head,“ said Vucic.

The Serbian President used the opportunity to lobby for lithium: „Serbia is small and has no gas. We have lithium. But we are the geniuses who are the only ones in Europe who have abandoned lithium at this moment.”

Vucic announced that he would pay an informal but working visit to Azerbaijan by the end of the year, when he will continues talks with Aniyev on cooperation in the field of energy.

Aliyev last visited Serbia in 2011.