Serbian-Turkish Business Forum Opens in Belgrade, Around 500 Business People Attending

The Serbian-Turkish Business Forum, featuring around 500 business people from over 300 companies, opened today in Belgrade.

The forum was opened by the presidents of Serbia and Turkey, Aleksandar Vucic and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Vucic said that there was nothing easy in business and that it was of great importance that there was trust in the economic cooperation of Serbia and Turkey.

He pointed out that it was important to continue attracting Turkish investments to Serbia.

Erdogan said that Serbia was the key country for peace and stability in the Balkans.

– Serbia and Turkey have had USD 2 billion worth of goods exchange and I hope that we will do even better in the future – he said and added that he expected the business forum to lead to new opportunities for companies of Turkey and Serbia.

Business people from the sectors of construction, energy, renewable energy sources, banking, textile, medical equipment, food and logistics are taking part in the business forum.

Turkey is 23rd on the list of countries to which Serbia exports, and it is fifth when it comes to imports.

In Serbia, over 1,000 companies whose majority owners are Turkish nationals, that is, legal persons registered in that country, operate, employing around 10,000 workers.

The value of the Turkish investments in Serbia since 2010 has amounted to around EUR 235 million. Turkey is 21st on the list of countries with the biggest investments in Serbia, mostly in the textile, food and automotive industries.