Vucic: Greek companies, financial institutions welcome in Serbia

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday Greek companies were welcome in Serbia, and called on Greek financial institutions, banks in particular, to renew their interest in the Serbian market.

Speaking at the opening of a Serbia-Greece business forum at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade - also attended by Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis - Vucic said the two countries were connected by emotions and true friendship and that the Serbs loved Greece.

He also noted that future relations called for a rational approach and that he believed many things could be achieved by joining forces.

"We will have to work more and fight for every Greek and Serbian company alike and fight to enter the Greek market in various fields but attract as many Greek companies as possible. That is why it is no coincidence I asked PM Mitsotakis today to also ask Greek financial institutions, Greek banks in particular, to again show interest in the Serbian market - even though I know this is a matter of market-based business operations - because Serbia is different today," Vucic noted.

"We will guarantee full legal, political and any other form of certainty and we are confident that financial data about the state of Serbia's public finances speak strongly enough of our permanent commitment to keep that strong enough," Vucic said.

"I want to say to all representatives of Greek companies: You are welcome in Serbia," he said.

Mitsotakis said he was confident Greek companies would become a part of the success the Serbian economy would achieve in pursuit of its ambitious goals set for the period until 2027.

"Our attendance at this forum is proof that the friendship between Serbia and Greece is firmly rooted and that we have an opportunity to make a major leap in our economic relations. The volume of our bilateral goods trade is 750 mln euros, and we can do a lot better," Mitsotakis said, urging Greek companies to pay close attention the great progress achieved by Serbia in recent years.

"Serbia has ambitious plans - it wants to achieve a GDP of 100 bln dollars by 2027. This is about infrastructure construction, energy, waste management. I am confident Greek companies will be a part of the success to be achieved by the Serbian economy," he noted.