Čadež: In New York on Railway Modernization Between Trieste and Belgrade

The meeting of the Central European Initiative, to be held today on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, is of exceptional importance, particularly in light of an initiative vital for the entire region—the modernization of the railway line between Trieste and Belgrade, as well as the railway border crossing between Serbia and Croatia—said Marko Čadež, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, ahead of the meeting in New York.

Čadež, who is in New York as part of the Serbian delegation, recalled that the initiative to modernize this railway corridor was launched precisely by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and the Croatian Chamber of Economy, later joined by the Adriatic–Ionian Initiative, which highlights the significance of this undertaking for all the countries of the region, from Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, to Serbia.

“We want to try to revive this route and accelerate the process, because it is important for all of us. The economies of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy depend on it,” said Čadež, emphasizing that a large share of Serbia’s exports and imports go through the ports of Rijeka and Koper, which lie on this route.

Therefore, the meeting presents a valuable opportunity to revisit this project with representatives from all countries involved in the initiative and emphasize the importance of its realization.

Čadež also announced that he would invite CEI member states to attend the upcoming “Wine Vision” fair, where a meeting dedicated to the modernization of the Belgrade–Trieste railway will also be held.

In New York, Čadež attended an informal reception hosted by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić to mark the anniversary of the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement.

“The reception was attended by representatives of numerous countries, some with which we already have strong economic relations, as well as others with which we are arranging much more intensive business delegation visits. I am primarily referring to North African and sub-Saharan African states. It was important to have the opportunity, in one place, to meet the leaders of those countries and discuss what lies ahead,” said Čadež.

He emphasized that it is rare, even in more developed economies, for representatives of the business community to be included in their country's delegations during UN General Assembly sessions.

Čadež thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Minister Marko Đurić for enabling him, as President of the CCIS, to participate in these meetings and discuss concrete business opportunities for the third year in a row.

“It was very important that we had talks with numerous delegations attending the UN General Assembly,” Čadež underlined, noting that in recent days he had taken part in a series of bilateral meetings of the Serbian delegation in New York.