Panel discussion: “How to promote economic cooperation between Turkey and the countries of South-Eastern Europe?”

PRESS RELEASE

 Panel discussion: “How to promote economic cooperation between Turkey and the countries of South-Eastern Europe?”  

LJUBLJANA, 23 March 2015 –Director of the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) Zijad Bećirović will participate at the 4th Business Plus conference of the regional business club which will take place on 26 March 2015 in Belgrade where he will chair the panel discussion entitled “How to promote economic cooperation between Turkey and the countries of South-Eastern Europe?”.

The participants of the panel discussion will be:

• Nurettin Canikli, Minister of Customs and Trade of the Republic of Turkey;
• Rasim Ljajić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia;  
• Andrej Prebil, President of the Management Board of Sava Turizem d.d., Ljubljana, Slovenia;
• Samo Ivančič, member of the Executive Board of Intekno Group, Istanbul, Turkey;
• Zahit Sağlık, owner and President of the Management Board of Sağlık Group, Turkey;
• Mehmet Kemal Bozay, ambassador Republic of Turkey in Serbia.                                                                                                                                

The aim of the panel discussion is to present the state of economic cooperation between the Republic of Turkey and the countries of South-Eastern Europe to date and to find new business opportunities for future economic cooperation between the companies from those countries. There are some unexploited opportunities for cooperation between companies in the region. Many bilateral agreements have been signed between Turkey and the countries of South-Eastern Europe. Even the Republic of Slovenia signed the agreement on strategic cooperation with Turkey in 2011. Sound political relations between the countries in the region should grow into excellent business relations, which will enable the development of successful economic cooperation and the initiation of new economic projects that are vital for the development of economies in the region. Turkey has a large, complex and demanding market that offers plenty of business opportunities. Turkish companies have duty-free access to numerous markets in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa; therefore it is highly recommendable to enter into joint ventures with Turkish partners. This would enable companies from the Balkan and other South-Eastern Europe countries to be more competitive than when they export to those markets directly from their countries. On the other hand the region of South and Eastern Europe offers numerous opportunities for Turkish companies. Thus there are plenty of possibilities for mutual economic and political cooperation.

The event will be attended by numerous businessmen and high-level politicians from Serbia and the region.

Participation at the panel discussion and at the conference is possible upon prior invitation.

Ljubljana, 23 March 2015