Every time I come to Baku, Azerbaijan, I witness great changes. I see all the progress that the people of Azerbaijan and President Aliyev have achieved together for your country and your people.
Modern.az reports that these thoughts were expressed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at the official opening ceremony of the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.
“People from outside, foreigners, see this more easily. Because in your daily life, you adapt to these changes more quickly and begin to take them for granted. But when we look from the outside, we clearly see how much great development your country has undergone in recent years. There is a very simple explanation for this: it has been possible thanks to your hard work and dedication. But in addition to this, your leader has a quality that many of us, even all of us, have more of - endless love and devotion to his people and country. That is why such magnificent development is achieved. That is why I call Baku one of the most beautiful places in the world today. I have great admiration for it and for you, and I am trying to do similar things in my country - Serbia - in a certain sense.”
A. Vučić noted that he would like to congratulate Azerbaijan on successfully hosting the 13th World Urban Forum and highly appreciate the initiative to organize a summit for the first time within the framework of this event:
“In my opinion, it will be very important for this format to become a permanent tradition in future forums in terms of fully utilizing the potential of the World Urban Forum.
We have gathered here - in wonderful and inspiring Azerbaijan, located on the shores of the Caspian Sea - to discuss the challenges and great opportunities related to urbanization. The presence of thousands of participants in Baku clearly demonstrates the great interest of the world community in the future of cities and the problems they face.”
He also emphasized that in Baku, we see a city that combines traditions, sustainability, and innovation.
“Here, the harmony of history and modern development demonstrates what is possible when sustainable urban planning and inclusive governance become a priority.
It is known that more than half of the world's population lives in cities, and this figure is expected to increase further in the future. Cities, towns, and settlements are the main centers of economic development, production, innovation, education, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. It is impossible to imagine life on our planet without cities and urban spaces.”
A. Vučić stated that free public transport has been introduced in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and we plan to increase the number of electric buses to reduce air pollution:
“At the same time, we look forward to cooperating with our friends from Azerbaijan in the near future towards the construction of a gas-fired power plant near the city of Niš in southern Serbia.”
The President of Serbia also added that Serbia recently adopted a law allowing millions of residents living in unregistered apartments to legalize their properties.
“With this, every citizen knows that they are the legal owner of their house or apartment. Cities are a natural environment for developing the creativity, innovative thinking, and diverse talents of young people, and for promoting new ideas and solutions aimed at improving daily life.
Belgrade, which will host Expo 2027 with the theme “Play for Humanity,” will be an important platform for more than 140 countries around the world to present their music, sports, and innovative solutions. At the same time, we are proud of the opportunity to demonstrate concrete innovative solutions within the framework of Expo 2027 to reduce congestion in urban transport, develop sustainable mobility, and improve people's quality of life. This includes new generation electric aircraft and “smart” transport systems.”
