Almost 150 representatives of the business circles of Bulgaria and Serbia met at a business forum held in the capital of Serbia in order to discuss possible partnerships. The meeting was part of the official visit of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev in Belgrade.
“At a business forum held in Sofia in 2013, together with President Nikolic we were surprised that the hall of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry was small for the business representatives who showed interest in cooperation, investments and friendship with Serbia,” President Plevneliev addressed the participants in the forum. According to the Head of State good neighbourliness is the greatest value of the Balkans.
Before the representatives of the business circles of the two countries the Head of State reiterated his support for building a regional energy bourse, which will ensure access to energy resources at competitive prices. The President further recalled that Bulgaria is investing more than one billion euros to implement projects along the Corridor 10 route, which is a priority issue for Bulgaria and Serbia. The investment in the Plovdiv-Svilengrad railway is worth 650 million euros and the sections from Sofia ring road to Kalotina and the Serbian border will soon be built. Initially 130 million euros were provided for the construction of the north section, which is also part of Corridor 10. “We have adopted a very responsible attitude to the construction of the route of this corridor, which will connect Europe and Asia,” the Bulgarian President emphasized. He advised Serbian contractors to learn from the experience of Bulgarian construction companies and to participate jointly in public tenders at EU level.
In his speech during the forum, the President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov stressed the Chamber’s excellent cooperation with its Serbian partners not only on bilateral, but also on regional and international level. He summed up the meetings of the business representatives held during the visit. Cooperation was negotiated with the Belgrade Fair for promoting the participation of companies from the two countries in fairs and exhibitions. Specific steps for intensifying the contacts with the Serbian Employers Association were outlined as well as joint projects for close cooperation. Joint work was planned between the organizations responsible for the implementation of the international trade standards GS1 in the two countries – GS1 Bulgaria and GS1 Serbia.