France, Serbia sign Rafale fighter jet deal during Macron visit

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00:00In the midst of a political crisis in France, Emmanuel Macron travelled to Belgrade to meet

00:05his counterpart Alexander Vucic to conclude the sale of 12 Rafale aircraft, a strategic

00:12and sensitive sale at a time when Serbia maintains diplomatic relations with Russia.

00:17But for Paris, the purchase of these fighter jets is a strategic change for Serbia, hailed

00:23on Thursday by the French President, who sees it as a way of contributing to strengthening

00:28Europe's autonomy.

00:29This strategic autonomy, which we can consolidate together by strengthening our security, is

00:37not exclusive to the European Union, but also within the European political community and

00:43with countries destined to join the EU.

00:46This is why Serbia's choice of Rafale fighter jets is a clear choice, that of a long-term

00:51alliance between our two countries within a stronger, more sovereign Europe.

00:58Emmanuel Macron claims to have received full guarantees from Vucic to prevent any transfer

01:02of Rafale technology to Russia or any pressure on Kosovo.

01:06It will be the second visit of the French President to Serbia in the last five years,

01:11following the strengthening of relations between the two countries.

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