Vucic and Georgian PM agree on new embassy
On the second day of his official visit to Georgia, Serbia's president met Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to discuss opening an embassy, boosting trade and a Tbilisi-Belgrade air link.
- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in Tbilisi on June 16.
- The two agreed to open a new embassy and to deepen bilateral ties between the countries.
- Both leaders highlighted the importance of a Tbilisi-Belgrade air route.
- This is the first official visit by a Serbian president to Georgia, running through Wednesday, June 17.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at the government building in Tbilisi on Tuesday, June 16, continuing the first official visit by a Serbian president to the country. The talks took place on the second day of the trip, after the delegation arrived on Monday, and centered on opening an embassy, expanding trade and establishing a direct air link between the two capitals.
The meeting was followed by a joint press conference, at which Vucic and Kobakhidze laid out the points they had agreed on. Alongside the president, the Serbian delegation includes Agriculture Minister Dragan Glamocic and Trade Minister Jagoda Lazarevic, a lineup that signals the visit is focused on concrete economic and institutional cooperation rather than a ceremonial handshake.
What exactly was agreed in Tbilisi?
The central point of the talks was opening a new embassy, a step that would raise diplomatic relations between the two countries to a higher and more durable level. A permanent mission means a direct channel of communication, easier support for citizens and businesses, and an institutional base for any future agreements. Until now, ties between Belgrade and Tbilisi rested on occasional contacts, which makes the embassy announcement the most tangible result of this visit.
The second concrete topic was a Tbilisi-Belgrade air route. A direct flight between the two capitals would shorten travel for business people, tourists and members of the diaspora, and in practice such a link is often the first sign that two countries are taking each other seriously. The presence of the trade and agriculture ministers in the delegation suggests that broader exchange in farm products and goods is being planned alongside the transport connection.
Vucic and Kobakhidze also discussed strengthening overall bilateral ties. Georgia, a country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, has spent years seeking partners beyond its immediate neighborhood, while Serbia continues a policy of opening up to states with which it has not yet built developed cooperation. Seen this way, the visit fits a wider pattern in Serbian foreign policy, in which the diplomatic network expands beyond its traditional directions.
Why does this visit matter more than it first appears?
Because it is the first visit by a Serbian president, this level of direct political contact did not exist before, so every agreement lays a foundation rather than building on something already in place. Opening an embassy and announcing a direct flight are not major world headlines, but they are precisely the kind of moves that change relations between two states in practice, shifting them from paper to everyday cooperation.
The visit runs through Wednesday, June 17, so the final day is expected to bring more detail on how the agreements will be carried out. The open question is timing: how quickly the embassy and air-route announcements will get firm dates and signatures, because the speed of follow-through is what separates a symbolic visit from one that genuinely moves relations forward.
Do you think opening an embassy and a direct flight will really bring Serbia and Georgia closer, or is this a step whose results will only show over the long term?
