BOSNIA: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan attends an international investment conference in Sarajevo

Record ID: 217327

  • Title: BOSNIA: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan attends an international investment conference in Sarajevo
  • Date: 7th April 2010
  • Summary: SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (APRIL 6, 2010) (REUTERS) BOSNIAN PARLIAMENT HOUSE AND HOTEL WHERE INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT CONFERENCE AND BUSINESS FORUM TAKES PLACE BOSNIAN NATIONAL FLAGS AT SQUARE PARTICIPANTS AND GUESTS OF THE CONFERENCE APPLAUDING AT START OF SESSION PARTICIPANTS AND GUESTS SITTING START OF OPENING SPEECHES TURKISH PRIME MINISTER TAYYIP ERDOGAN
  • Embargoed: 22nd April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations,Finance
  • Reuters ID: LVA61HT1ZOMVU5SFROJ1VIIVWRP
  • Story Text: Potential investors from Turkey, the Middle East, North America, Asia and Europe gathered on Tuesday (April 6) to attend the opening of the 1st International Investment Conference in Sarajevo.
    Bosnian government prepared more than 150 projects in sectors of energy, infrastructure, agriculture and tourism hoping to attract the interest and investments from abroad.
    "All those who are doing business here in Bosnia and Herzegovina can witness that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a business friendly and stable country," said Haris Silajdzic, the Chairman of Bosnian tri-partite Presidency, in his opening speech.
    He said his government's twin goals were to build up international business and bring about Bosnia and Herzegovina's membership of the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
    Silajdzic pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently using only 36 percent of its water resources for energy production.
    "Bosnia and Herzegovina is already exporting energy and we do not hide our ambition to become the energy hub of the region of the South-Eastern Europe. We can do that but of course we need the investments," Silajdzic said.
    Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said bureaucratic obstacles should be tackled to allow more investments in Bosnia Herzegovina.
    "We have already some entrepreneurs here but it is not enough. But for further investments, it is necessary to ensure trust and stability and bureaucratic obstacles should be removed. Moreover our presidents must be involved in the process if necessary," Erdogan said at the investment conference.
    Stressing the importance of stability for foreign investors Erdogan reiterated that early elections are not on the agenda of his ruling AK Party.
    "Wherever I go, investors are asking me whether there will be elections. No one has the right to chill the air. If politicians in a country are supporting such an environment they are betraying their own country. Despite the fact that opinion polls indicate we have a high support from public, we have never considered to call for early polls and we never will," he told delegates at the conference.
    The total worth of the projects presented at the start of the two-day conference is 11.5 billion euros.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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