Serbia at "EXPO Osaka 2025" – A Great Opportunity for Economy and International Cooperation

The international exhibition "EXPO Osaka 2025", which will take place from April 13th to October 13th this year, presents a significant opportunity for Serbian companies and our country to showcase themselves to the world and build a "time bridge" to the Specialized Exhibition "EXPO 2027" in Belgrade. This was emphasized today by Siniša Mali, Minister of Finance, and Marko Čadež, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS).

At the presentation of Serbia’s participation and national pavilion at "EXPO Osaka 2025" in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, it was highlighted that "Osaka 2025" is an exceptional opportunity for Serbian companies, as the event in Japan is expected to attract 28 million visitors from more than 160 countries over six months.

"This is a tremendous chance for us to present ourselves to the world and establish a time bridge to 'EXPO 2027' in Belgrade, which is progressing well and thriving. At the invitation of CCIS, over 160 companies from various industries, ranging from food producers and processing industries to the ICT sector, have expressed interest in participating in thematic weeks in Osaka," said Čadež.

He added that CCIS, in cooperation with Japanese partners, will organize two major central economic events in July and September:

"An investment conference on June 23 in partnership with JETRO and a business forum in September—a B2B event following up on the business forums we held in Japan and Belgrade last year, which gathered more than 250 companies."

Čadež expressed confidence that Serbia’s participation at "EXPO 2025" will lead to more Japanese investments in Serbia, Serbian investments in Japan, and joint projects.

"We expect to secure another highly significant agreement this year—a bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement—and we hope for the return of the JETRO office to Belgrade, as well as continued successful cooperation with the Japan Business Alliance," Čadež stated, inviting Serbian companies to seize the opportunity to participate in "EXPO Osaka 2025."

Siniša Mali, Minister of Finance, emphasized that Serbia and Japan have a long-standing friendship spanning over 140 years and that Serbia’s participation in the Osaka exhibition is another chance to strengthen these ties.

"We are the only country from the Western Balkans with an independent pavilion in Osaka. The whole world will be there for the next six months. You have our pavilion, our infrastructure, ready to support you," Mali said, inviting Japanese companies to attend the exhibition in Belgrade in 2027.

Mali also pointed out that, just as all the infrastructure built for "EXPO 2025" will remain in Osaka and Japan after the event, the same will happen in Belgrade and Serbia after "EXPO 2027."

"What Osaka will be for the next six months, Belgrade and Serbia will be in 2027—the center of the world," the Minister of Finance emphasized.

Akira Imamura, Ambassador of Japan to Serbia, highlighted that "EXPO 2025" in Osaka is an excellent opportunity for Serbia and Japan to expand their cooperation. He noted that the exhibition would serve as a global hub of knowledge, bringing together solutions to worldwide challenges, and that Serbia’s participation will make a significant contribution to this effort.

Goran Pekež, Chairman of the JBAS Board of Directors, stated that Serbia’s participation at "EXPO Osaka 2025" represents an opportunity to connect, learn, and shape the future, strengthening Serbia-Japan cooperation.

According to Žarko Malinović, General Commissioner of the Republic of Serbia for "EXPO 2025 Osaka," Serbian businesses have six months to present themselves to the world in the best possible way and take full advantage of the benefits provided by Serbia’s national pavilion.

During today’s event at CCIS, a partnership agreement was signed between JT International AD Senta and Cultcrave for the promotion of Serbian culture at the Serbia Pavilion at "EXPO 2025."