Čadež: Serbian and Greek Businessmen Gathered to Make Big Deals, Expo 2027 is a Great Chance

The Serbian-Greek business forum gathered today in the Palace of Serbia more than 360 Serbian and Greek businessmen from around 160 companies from various sectors of the economy- from energy and infrastructure to IT, finance, tourism, and the circular economy. 

According to Marko Čadež, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS), businessmen gathered to make big deals and participate in projects such as "Leap into the Future" and "Belgrade Expo 2027". 

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, have affirmed their support for strengthening economic ties and economic cooperation in specific sectors.

Pointing out to the consolidation of the Greek and the improvement of the Serbian economy, Čadež emphasized that a lot of positive things are happening in Greek-Serbian business relations and that companies can cooperate in all areas from logistics, construction, and infrastructure to the green agenda and circular economy.

President Vučić emphasized at the opening of the forum that Greek companies are welcome in Serbia and called on Greek financial institutions, especially banks, to once again show interest in the Serbian market. Emotions and true friendship connect us with Greece, Serbs love Greece, and a lot can be done together in our relations in the future, the goal is for our exchange to reach three billion euros, said the Serbian president.

Siniša Mali, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Serbia and Minister of Finance presented "Belgrade Expo 2027", stressing that it is the greatest development opportunity for our country.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Kostas Fragoyannis, reminded that traditionally strong ties already existed between Serbia and Greece and that today's meetings were organized to continue and strengthen the cooperation of the two countries in preparation for the specialized exhibition in 2027 in Belgrade. He reminded that 250 companies from Greece were active in Serbia and employed over 1,000 people.

Ministers in the Government of Serbia - energy, infrastructure, trade, and agriculture Dubravka Đedović Handanović, Goran Vesić, Tomislav Momirović, and Jelena Tanasković presented development projects in their respective sectors to Greek and Serbian businessmen, as well as opportunities for joint ventures between the two business communities.

After the business forum, bilateral meetings of Greek and Serbian businessmen were held.
According to the data of the Republic Institute of Statistics, in the period January - December 2023, the total foreign trade exchange in goods with Greece amounted to 792.3 million euros. In the observed period, exports amounted to 299 million euros and recorded an increase of 5.7 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Imports amounted to 493.3 million euros and recorded a decrease of 2.4 percent, and the coverage of imports by exports was 60.6 percent.