[wzslider]By: Nevena Šarenac
In Sarajevo yesterday the 4th international investment conference ‘Sarajevo Business Forum 2013” officially opened, with the working part of the conference to take place today. The reception at hotel ‘Bristol’ was attended by a number of people from the political and business world, and representatives from the BiH Diplomatic Corps, who were wished a warm welcome by member of the BiH Presidency Bakir Izetbegović. At last night’s reception, honorary guests of the Sarajevo Business Forum were in attendance, such as the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Ali Babaca, the Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahatmir Mohammad, former President of Slovenia Dr. Danilo Turk, and State Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates Obaid Humaid Al-Tayer.
In his welcome speech, Bakir Izetbegović said that BiH is a country rich with many resources, from water, minerals, and fertile land to the huge potential for tourism development, but despite all this its citizens are not rich.
“Because of this, at the Sarajevo Business Forum we will focus on this problem and hear success stories from our distinguished guests from Malaysia, Turkey, the UAE, and Slovenia’’, said Izetbegović.
The Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahatmir Mohamed presented awards on behalf of the Foundation “Perdana Leadership” and “Ilum Alumni” to the most successful business people and other public figures in BiH.
The award in the category of energy was given to Enes Čengić (Energoinvest), health to Faris Gavrankapetanović (Institute for Health Insurance Canton Sarajevo), construction industry to Hamed Ramić (Euroasfalt), entrepreneurship to Mirsad Ćatić (Securitas), banking to Amer Bukvić (BBI Bank), automobile industry to Nijaz Hastor (Prevent), production to Ređo Bekto (Bekto Precisa), social entrepreneurship to Zoan Puljić (Fondacija Mozaik), and the lifetime achievement award to Haris Silajdžić.
Expressing satisfaction to be in Sarajevo once again, Mahatmir Mohamed said that he is convinced that participants at the forum would contribute to increasing the standards of the citizens of BiH.
“I hope that we will have a good session and that we will convey our useful experience to all participants’’, said the former Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Lifetime achievement award winner Haris Silajdžić said that it was a great pleasure and honor that for years he has been connected with a person such as Mahatmir Mohamed, who has become a role model in his country and abroad by opening new horizons for the world.
“This man was critical of himself, his people, politics in Malaysia and the entire world. Mahatmir Mohamed is a man of peace and he has demonstrated that many times. He tells us to respect one another. He has said and shown many times that we are all equal, and that the least people could do is to respect one another, and that this would cure many illnesses’’, concluded Silajdžić.
The fourth Sarajevo Business Forum began in Sarajevo today under the name “Models of Growth for Southeast Europe”.
