President Droupadi Murmu and Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic have agreed to set a target for bilateral trade to one billion euros by the end of the decade, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The leaders discussed various areas of cooperation, including defence and military, tech, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, industrial cooperation, information technology, AI, cultural cooperation and film production. They also discussed the potential of attracting Indian filmmakers for filming post-production and building business relations as countries become familiar with each other.
Serbia has offered attractive concessions for filming in Serbia, such as a 20 to 25 per cent cashback facility for film units shooting in the country. President Vucic also expressed his desire to establish direct air linkages between Belgrade and Delhi. He also mentioned several concessions or subsidies that Serbia was willing to offer to Indian Airlines if they operated a direct flight between India and Serbia.
Both presidents expressed their gratitude for each other’s personal commitment and leadership in furthering India-Serbia relations. They also emphasised the unprecedented change India is going through and called for cooperation in new areas like science and technology, machinery, equipment, startups, and clean and renewable energy.
Murmu was greeted with a ceremonial welcome and paid floral tributes at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Belgrade. She also addressed a gathering of the Indian diaspora and Friends of India, emphasising that both India and Serbia are ancient lands and have been defined in the context of the Non Aligned Movement. The President appreciated and admired the contributions of the Diaspora and Friends of India and their positive contribution towards strengthening India.
