Vučić: "Georgia will always be able to count on Serbian vote"; Kavlashvili: "We are grateful for your support"

"It is a great honor for me, as the President of Serbia, to host the President of Georgia for the first time, and I am immensely happy and honored by your visit. The closeness between the Serbian and Georgian people is such that I told the President that in Serbia and Belgrade, he will not find anyone who would say anything bad about his country," Vučić said.

• Vučić meets with Kavelashvili; Ceremonial reception for President of Georgia in front of “Palace of Serbia“

He announced that a Serbian embassy will soon be opened in Tbilisi and that he discussed numerous topics with his Georgian counterpart, including the situation in the region, emphasizing that they understood each other very well.

"I am grateful to Georgia for respecting the United Nations Charter and Serbia's territorial integrity, just as Serbia respects Georgia's territorial integrity. Georgia knows what it means to deal with great powers, as we are also exposed to such relations, so we understand Georgia's position."

Vučić also stated that a Joint Committee will be held on December 22, and that a free trade agreement could be concluded by the end of next year, as these are serious discussions. He added that many products could be obtained more favorably from Georgia.

"We also discussed progress in cooperation in the fields of agriculture and the IT sector, and I believe we can achieve significant progress in these areas. In the future, as our relations become more concrete, we will discuss cooperation in the defense industry, and I believe this is good news for both countries," Vučić explained.

"Georgia will always be able to count on the Serbian vote, just as Serbia, I hope, can count on the Georgian vote. Welcome, President Kavlashvili, and thank you, I dare say, for this historic visit."

Kavlashvili: It is a pleasure to be here

TANJUG/ RADE PRELIĆ/ nr

The Georgian president then addressed journalists.

"Thank you, Aleksandar, for inviting me to this extraordinary country, which is very dear to Georgians. I am very happy for this warm welcome you have given me. I hope that the relations, which you also mentioned, will become even closer," Kavlashvili said.

He emphasized that Georgia places great importance on faith and seeks to maintain close relations with nations of the same Orthodox faith. He added that Georgia is a peaceful nation that protects its national interests, a stance it has maintained since the beginning of the war in Ukraine despite immense pressure.

"We take a very principled position, which is important for every country. The initiative we support, and I hope others will support as well, is peace in the world. You are aware that the situation in our region was tense due to the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which has now come to an end," Kavlashvili said.

"I want to express my gratitude for respecting our sovereignty and standing with us. Once again, I want to express my pleasure at being here, to greet the Serbian people, who are dearly loved in Georgia, and to convey greetings from the Georgian people."

Vučić then publicly congratulated Georgia on its growth rate, despite ongoing demonstrations.

"It is an exceptionally successful country. I congratulate the Georgian people and the Georgian state on these outstanding results. Thank you very much, and I wish you to feel at home," Vučić concluded.