Vucevic receives Japanese ambassador

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Milos Vucevic received Japanese Ambassador to Belgrade Akira Imamura on Friday to discuss bilateral relations, economic cooperation and partnership in joint projects, and noted that next week's visit to Japan by a group of Serbian businesspeople would be a good opportunity to expand cooperation and share experiences.

Vucevic said Japanese investors had already recognised the advantages of doing business in Serbia, the government said in a statement.

He noted that Serbia was very interested in Japanese investments in the automotive, chemical, pharmaceuticals and IT industries, as well as in environmental protection and culture.

Noting that several major Japanese companies such as Toyo Tires, Nidec and Itochu were operating successfully in Serbia, Vucevic urged other Japanese investors to invest in the Serbian market.

He said he was very pleased that both countries were interested in cooperation in the construction and funding of the Bistrica reversible hydropower plant and in other energy projects, as well as in environmental protection projects.

Speaking about bilateral relations, Vucevic expressed dissatisfaction with Japan's decision to support a UN General Assembly resolution on Srebrenica and noted that the stance did not help reconciliation and strengthening of good relations in the region.

Imamura said Japan was striving to maintain good relations and support Serbia's stability and prosperity, and thanked the Serbian government for supporting bilateral economic cooperation, which he noted was becoming increasingly intensive.