The Deputy Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Zlatko Lagumdžija led a delegation on a “Business Forum BiH-UAE” that was held yesterday in Jumeirah Etihad Tower in Abu Dhabi.
This event was important for advancing economic cooperation between BiH and the UAE. Representatives from more than 50 major companies from BiH attended, and they presented new ideas and projects for investing in BiH to financial funds of the UAE and businesspeople.
Lagumdžija opened the forum by expressing gratitude for the support of the UAE, led by the President of the UAE Sheick Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He assessed that after many years of sponsorship the time has come for a partnership relationship between the two friendly countries, and that for this goal more than 50 BiH companies have come to the UAE in order to present to potential partners opportunities for business endeavors in BiH, as well as new ideas for concrete investment projects and trade in our country.
On this occasion, he pointed to the many opportunities and the existence of a good framework for doing business in BiH.
He said that BiH has good macroeconomic indicators, stable currency that is tied to the Euro, highly educated and qualified work force and a clear perspective for EU and NATO membership.
He pointed out that the opportunity for good business comes from the fact that BiH is a member of CEFTA, which makes up a large part of the market with around 30 million consumers, as well as the existence of an agreement on free trade between BiH and Turkey.
Also, Minister Lagumdžija spoke of BiH’s determination to build bridges of cooperation with other countries in the Western Balkans, which is a decision that has become the engine for change and a generator of huge infrastructure programs, investment and a number of business opportunities.
“In BiH and in countries in the region today you can find a number of new markets, new investment opportunities and new partners that could offer good and quality products that are already exporting to Western Balkan countries, the EU, Turkey and other countries. The best companies from BiH are with you and I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to establish good relations and inclusion of new quality contacts from BiH in your business network’’, said Minister Lagumdžija.