In an interview with the Israeli media outlet Jerusalem Post, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that he is currently the only one in Europe who trades ammunition with Israel and that he is “often criticized by colleagues” for it. The Jerusalem Post writes that Serbia exported military goods worth 42.3 million euros to Israel in 2024.
“On the evening of the eighth (of October, 2023), we received a message from Israel. ‘We need this and that. We were not absolutely ready; we need it as soon as possible’,” Vučić recalled for the Post.
The President of Serbia, as he explained, then sped up the process.
“I was the Minister of Defense, and I know how it goes – licenses from various ministries, security and intelligence agencies, multiple governmental and non-governmental bodies… And we gathered everything within four days, and we did it. That had never been achieved before in this country,” he said.
From that moment, defense ties between Belgrade and Jerusalem rapidly deepened, the Jerusalem Post writes.
Serbian arms exports to Israel reached 42.3 million euros in 2024, according to a joint report by Balkan Insight and Haaretz (based on customs data) – thirty times more than the previous year. Serbia has become a vital link in Israel’s defense supply chain.
“I am the only one in Europe today who trades military ammunition with Israel. And that’s why my colleagues often criticize me,” Vučić said.
That criticism has been sharp. Serbian investigative media KRIK and German newspaper Bild accused Vučić of irregularities in arms trade.
Vučić merely shrugged at the attacks, the media outlet stated.
“I was not surprised by the level of attacks on the Jewish state and the Jewish people across Europe,” he declared, shifting the narrative.
“In Serbia, the situation will always remain the same. We will always cherish, respect, and love the Jewish people and Israel. That is what I truly mean; that is what I truly feel.”
The Jerusalem Post reminds readers that Israeli teams played matches in Belgrade.
Vučić recounted how he, he claims, worked behind the scenes to help secure the release of hostage Alon Ohel.
“I asked some of my friends in the Middle East for help, and we got information that he was alive. Of course, you never know. It’s terribly difficult to convey this kind of message to a mother waiting for her son. But I told her: ‘I can’t guarantee it, but we have information that he is alive.’ And then we received official information that he was alive, that he was injured, and that he was going through difficult times,” Vučić said.
It should be noted that Alon Ohel is still in captivity.
Wholesale Trade
In addition to military armaments, trade and investment ties between Serbia and Israel have reached unprecedented levels.
According to data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, exports from Serbia to Israel increased by 196.2 percent in just the first two months of 2025. In 2024, total trade between the two countries reached a record $199.2 million, with Serbian exports growing by 75.2 percent and imports by 40.9 percent, the Jerusalem Post writes.
They write that Serbia exports various goods to Israel, from automotive parts, gas turbines, and machinery to agricultural goods and finished chemical products. Serbian imports from Israel focus on high-tech goods, medical and optical equipment, aerospace components, and tropical products.
Serbia and Israel also cooperate in biotechnology and “cybersecurity.”
Vučić: If Israel Faces a Genocide Resolution, Serbia Will Not Vote for It
The Jerusalem Post reminds that Israel abstained when the 2024 UN General Assembly resolution designating July 11 as the “International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide” was voted on.
“They attracted many Islamic countries because of the Srebrenica issue. We were very grateful to Israel that they did not vote for the resolution. I think that was important for Israel and the Jewish people, because the next time you might be subjected to such a resolution at the UN General Assembly, Serbia will not vote for it.”
Serbian Delegation in Syria a Few Days Ago
It should be noted that two days ago, a Serbian delegation visited Syria.
As part of an official visit to Damascus, the Minister for Reconciliation, Regional Cooperation and Social Stability in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Usame Zukorlić, met with the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Ahmed Al-Shara.
During the meeting, current relations between the two countries were discussed, with mutual readiness expressed for the renewal and strengthening of bilateral cooperation, as stated on the ministry’s website.
The delegation also included Damjan Jović, State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, and Milan Trojanović, Serbian Ambassador to Lebanon, also accredited to Syria.
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Source: N1, Photo: EPA