Vucic: I want us to attract, help Slovak investments

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday Serbia wanted to get Slovak businesses interested in coming to the country, and noted that Serbia was able to help investments with various stimuli.

"So that they can find an interest in making profit and that we can find an interest in collecting taxes and job creation, as well as in further progress of the Serbian economy. We have significant ways of stimulating those who invest in employment and set up companies in our country. For that reason, I would like to ask the people from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia to explain to Slovak friends in every way how they can use funds of the Republic of Serbia, and we know that it always pays off to us in the end," Vucic said at a Serbia-Slovakia business forum, also attended by Slovak PM Robert Fico.

"I daresay Serbia has done good business in recent years and that it has done well. Our growth rate is one of the highest in Europe. At the same time, our public debt ratio was 79 pct when I became PM and it is now at 48 pct of GDP, and those are significant results we have achieved through tough economic measures and reforms," Vucic said.

He said Serbia also accounted for 55 pct of the Western Balkans' exports and would this year likely have a 65 pct share of overall FDI in the region.

Vucic also announced flights between Belgrade and Kosice would be launched in the shortest possible time and that work would be underway to establish flights to Bratislava by the end of next year.