Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Malaysia, Emir Hadzikadunic, talked about bilateral relations between BiH and Malaysia, investment and economic cooperation and great potential when it comes to tourism, which BiH can achieve with Malaysia.
“Currently, the main segment of business cooperation is achieved in the sector of military industry. Leading BH companies from this sector are active on the market of Malaysia. This cooperation takes place on mutual satisfaction, which is showed by the growing trade volume. The volume of tourist exchange records an increase as well. The number of citizens of Malaysia who are visiting BiH is increasing every year. Considering that the visa-free regime with Malaysia is in force, a significant number of local tourist agencies are promoting our country as the top destination, and thus I expect this growth to continue. The campaign of Qatar Airways is illustrative and they promote Sarajevo as one of its new destinations on local city buses in Kuala Lumpur,” stated Hadzikadunic.
“Leading Malaysian officials are increasingly visiting BiH as tourists as well. Last year, the President of the Government of Malaysia, Kedah Ahmad Bashah, visited several of our cities. Moreover, Minister for Federal Territories in the Government of Malaysia Tengku Adnan also visited BiH with his family. When it comes to tourism, I can say that we are slowly conquering the world,” said Ambassador Hadzikadunic.
“Businessmen from Malaysia have invested in the banking sector, construction of housing units, construction of infrastructure, sporting facilities etc. It is well known that Vincent Tan, who is one of the wealthiest people in Malaysia, invested his capital in the FC Sarajevo. The possibility that Tan will expand its portfolio of investments on other sectors is much more important than this. MBI Development Ltd., which is part of a much larger and well-known business group in Malaysia called Selia Group, is the second example. Banks from Malaysia (Bank Islam, Exim Bank) financed one part of the building of Bosmal, residential blocks Vrtovi Riverine, shopping center on Ilidza etc. MBI is also involved in this project, which is being constructed in three phases (15-20 years). As they announced, it is expected that the value of their project will be 926 million EUR (GDV) at the end of the third phase. According to the ranking of foreign direct investment in BiH, Malaysia occupies 35th place, out of a total of 91 investors. My contacts in Malaysia show an increased interest in investing in tourism, hotel industry, wellness centers, healthcare facilities, education facilities and many others,” concluded Ambassador Hadzikadunic.
(Source: S. Hambo/Klix.ba)
