Serbia signed a contract to purchase 12 Rafale military aircraft from the French company Dassault Aviation during the state visit of President Emmanuel Macron to Belgrade.
According to Dassault CEO Eric Trapier, the much-anticipated deal will see Serbia receive nine single-seat and three two-seat aircraft by 2029.
The ten multirole fighters will help Serbia modernize its air force and replace aging Soviet-era fighter jets.
"We are happy to become part of the Rafale club. We thank the President of France for taking this decision and giving us the opportunity to purchase the new Rafales," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters during the signing ceremony.
The Serbian president said the deal included logistical support and the supply of spare parts, while also saying negotiations were underway on the type of weaponry that would be provided with the planes.
Macron said the deal showed "a long-term alliance between our two countries within a stronger and more sovereign Europe" and provided a potential strategic opening.
“It is an opening to strategic change despite the great pressure to note. This is real strategic courage and an opportunity for Europe," Macron said during a press conference in Belgrade.
Serbia has long been close to Russia and China and has bought weapons from both countries over the years, while relying on the Kremlin and Beijing for diplomatic support in its dispute with Kosovo.
The Rafale is a "multi-role" fighter that can be used to pursue enemy aircraft, strike land and sea targets, and conduct reconnaissance.
The deal is just one of several agreements struck during Macron's visit.
Macron arrived in Belgrade in the late afternoon of August 29, where he was greeted with a hug from Vučić and the traditional guard of honor.
France is strengthening its economic ties with Belgrade, with trade having tripled over the past 12 years, according to data from the Serbian finance ministry.
French company Vinci is overseeing the years-long renovation of Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport, while French groups will build the capital's first metro system and a modern wastewater treatment plant.
Belgrade analyst Vuk Vuksanovic said Vucic probably sees the Rafale deal as key to securing France's political support in the future.
President Vucic "believes that by buying these Rafales, which are an extremely expensive product of the French military and industry, he will buy the favor and political protection of President Macron," Vuksanovic, a senior researcher at the Belgrade Center for Security Policy, told AFP.
The agreement on the fighter jets is the latest in a series of moves by Serbia to seek closer ties with Europe.
In July, the European Union and Serbia signed an agreement to develop lithium supplies in the country, which is seen as a key element in making Europe's transition to a green economy.
This summer, Belgrade reinstated licenses for a controversial lithium mine after revoking permits granted to mining giant Rio Tinto following demonstrations over environmental concerns.
Vucic also admitted that Serbia had sold hundreds of millions of euros worth of ammunition to Western countries, which were likely sent to Ukraine as Kiev battled invading Russian troops.
The sales are taking place even though Serbia remains an exception in Europe, having refused to join sanctions against Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Balkan country has for years relied on the support of the Kremlin and Beijing to prevent the UN from recognizing Kosovo as an independent state.
Serbia has been a candidate for European Union membership since 2012, but its prospects are seen as bleak without normalization of relations with Kosovo, where it waged war against ethnic Albanian rebels in the late 1990s.
In a letter published by the Serbian press on Thursday morning, Macron said Serbia "totally belongs" to the EU. | BGNES
