Čadež: The Best News from the Forum - Around 300 Companies with Concrete Projects

The Serbian-Turkish Business Forum on Friday afternoon gathered more than 177 Serbian and 120 Turkish companies from all sectors of the economy, bringing concrete projects to strengthen cooperation and business ties. Without the strong support and personal friendship between Presidents Vučić and Erdogan, it would have been difficult for our economies to achieve what they have accomplished to date, said Marko Čadež, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. 

At the forum's opening, which was attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Čadež also mentioned another piece of good news: according to the Serbian Statistical Office, Serbia's annual exports to Turkey had already surpassed last year's figures by August, and the two countries are on track for record trade exchange.
"This is a week of good news: Serbia has received an investment-grade credit rating, and the market where Serbian products can be sold duty-free has expanded to 2.8 billion people. A new era has also begun as we have entered the battery alliance, creating the opportunity for Serbia to be one of the key players in the new green industrial revolution," Čadež said, emphasizing the honor of holding business forums in the presence of both presidents for the fourth time. "This speaks volumes about the great friendship and excellent relations between our countries," he added.
Speaking about the companies that came to the forum with concrete projects and bilateral meetings with Turkish partners, Čadež mentioned that PIK Bečej and Friglo are ready to double their trade with Turkey, Jagodina’s Jela wants to increase furniture exports to the Turkish market, and there are many opportunities for cooperation in IT and almost all sectors.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated that the arrival of Turkish investors is of great importance to Serbia and thanked the Turkish entrepreneurs for creating jobs and investing their profits in the country.
"We will open the Novi Sad-Subotica railway in just one month. We will be connected to Budapest by a fast railway as soon as the Hungarians complete their part of the work, in less than two years. At the same time, we have begun constructing the Belgrade-Niš high-speed railway, and we are already working on the Niš-Dimitrovgrad route, which means that we will reach Istanbul much faster and be able to have a true Orient Express, as in the past, connecting Belgrade, Niš, Pirot, and other cities in southern and southeastern Serbia with Turkey’s largest city in just a few hours," said Vučić.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that Turkish companies employ 9,600 people in Serbia, with total revenues exceeding one billion dollars. He also said that doors are wide open for all Serbian entrepreneurs who wish to work in Turkey.
Addressing the forum participants, Erdogan noted that Turkish companies are creating good business opportunities and that there are currently 850 investors in Serbia, whose capital value has grown from an initial one million to 540 million dollars over the past 12 years.

"Our two countries have achieved a lot, and our foreign trade exchange over the past two years has surpassed two billion dollars, demonstrating the upward trend of our trade relations," said Erdogan.

Nail Olpak, Chairman of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board, said that trade between Serbia and Turkey has increased and further growth is expected.
"I believe the ability to travel without visas will also contribute to this. I know that traveling with ID cards is something being worked on, which will greatly facilitate business," Olpak stated at the gathering.
Turkey and Serbia are countries with vast economic potential, and digital and green transitions are two important topics where the two countries can make significant joint progress, Olpak concluded.
After the plenary session, bilateral meetings were held between business leaders who discussed concrete business opportunities and projects in energy, infrastructure, tourism, the automotive industry, the food industry, and other sectors.