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Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia held formal talks at the Palace of Serbia on 8 September, first in a one-on-one session and then with their full delegations, agreeing to elevate bilateral relations across trade, industry, interregional ties and cultural exchange.
The two leaders described the current momentum in political dialogue, interparliamentary contacts and business exchanges as a foundation for deeper engagement. They pointed to the opening of diplomatic missions and the establishment of an interparliamentary forum as concrete steps that would reinforce that trajectory.
Trade framework and free trade ambitions
Trade and investment cooperation occupied a central place in the discussions. The sides said a series of high-level economic events had already taken place since the start of the year, and on 7 September the Intergovernmental Commission held its inaugural meeting. An Uzbekistan–Serbia business forum, bringing together representatives of leading companies from both countries, was scheduled to follow on the same day as the presidential talks.
Both governments underscored the importance of developing and adopting a Free Trade Agreement, alongside cooperation on standardization and the organisation of reciprocal trade exhibitions. The talks also addressed expanding supplies of goods identified as in demand in each market.
Uzbekistan confirmed it will participate in the international EXPO 2027 exhibition in Belgrade with a dedicated national pavilion.
Industrial partnership and new project pipeline
The leaders identified transport and logistics, light and food industries, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, medicine and the digital economy as priority sectors for new joint projects. They also highlighted what they described as significant potential in producing automotive components, equipment, electrical engineering products and electronics.
To give those ambitions a structured timeline, the two sides adopted a joint Action Plan for the Development of Industrial Partnership covering 2026 to 2028.
Regional and city-level links
Beyond the central government level, Mirziyoyev and Vučić welcomed the establishment of direct ties between the Samarkand region and the Serbian autonomous province of Vojvodina, as well as a sister-city relationship between Samarkand and Novi Sad.
Cultural and humanitarian agenda
In the humanitarian sphere, both presidents put forward initiatives to broaden cooperation in education, culture, sports and tourism. They agreed to hold Culture Days, joint film, theatre and music festivals, and to develop direct contacts between sports federations of the two countries.