Mesarovic meets with JETRO chairman

TOKYO - Serbian Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic met with Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Chairman Ishuguro Norihiko in Tokyo on Tuesday.

"The Ministry of Economy has supported five investment projects whose investors are Japan-based companies and whose founders are operating with capital of Japanese origin, and for which stimuli totalling nearly 68 mln euros have been disbursed. The investment projects envision investments in fixed assets amounting to 590 mln euros and employment for at least 2,500 new workers," Mesarovic said.

She noted that growth and modernisation of industry, investment in infrastructure and promotion of consumption were the main drivers of Serbia's economic development, enabling the country to become a global leader in attracting FDI.

Mesarovic stressed that political and economic stability, competitive operating expenses, an optimal geographic location, a trained workforce and financial benefits and stimuli had made Serbia an attractive investment destination and one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe.

"The great trade ties between Serbia and Europe, the highly-educated, trained work force and Serbia's industrial experiences could be comparative advantages when it comes to Japanese companies," she said.

She noted that Japanese companies had noticeably recognised the advantages of doing business in Serbia and that more and more Japanese companies were present in the Serbian market.

Mesarovic said she expected the number of Japanese investments in Serbia to be boosted significantly by the opening of a JETRO office in Belgrade, which was also discussed at the meeting.