Relationship dossier
Turkey
Serbia
Relationship assessment
A growing strategic and economic partnership coexists with disagreement over Kosovo.
Turkey toward Serbia
+35Turkey has pursued closer government cooperation with Serbia through a strategic partnership and a High-Level Cooperation Council, and Turkish businesses have expanded their presence in Serbia. Turkey's recognition of Kosovo remains a major point of disagreement with the Serbian government.
Serbia toward Turkey
+35Serbia has engaged in the strategic partnership and High-Level Cooperation Council with Turkey and has supported expanded bilateral economic ties. The Serbian government rejects Kosovo's independence, opposing Turkey's recognition of Kosovo.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship is structured around sustained high-level cooperation and expanding economic ties, including a strategic partnership and a bilateral cooperation council. These links are tempered by the persistent disagreement over Turkey's recognition of Kosovo and Serbia's rejection of Kosovo's independence.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Turkey and Serbia have developed closer government relations through a strategic partnership and a High-Level Cooperation Council, alongside expanding economic ties. Cooperation coexists with a significant disagreement over Kosovo: Turkey recognizes Kosovo, while Serbia rejects its independence. The partnership is substantive but does not remove this enduring political tension.
Areas of tension
- Turkey's recognition of Kosovo conflicts with Serbia's position that Kosovo is part of Serbia.
Key developments
Turkey and Serbia established a strategic partnership.
The two governments established a High-Level Cooperation Council to support bilateral cooperation.
Turkey recognized Kosovo's independence, a position rejected by Serbia.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral agreements beyond the strategic partnership and cooperation council are unclear.
- The breadth and durability of recent economic cooperation are uncertain.