Svilanovic: Business plays key role in regional cooperation

BELGRADE - Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council Goran Svilanovic said Thursday that business played a key role in cooperation in the Western Balkans.

Long before politicians, businessmen understood the need to go beyond the national framework in order to keep their business going, Svilanovic said at the fourth Business Plus regional conference in Belgrade.

He said that in 2014, countries of the region exchanged EUR 15 billion worth of goods under the Central European Free Trade Association (CEFTA) framework.

"The consolidation of the regional market can also be seen in the level of investment in the region, which amounted to about EUR 2.5 billion in recent years," he said.

Pointing out that that Turkey was chairing the G20 group of most developed countries this year, Svilanovic said that the Regional Cooperation Council would organize a major economic forum in Ankara on September 3-5 where companies from the region would have the opportunity to present themselves in the best possible light.

Photo Tanjug, Z. Zestic (archive photo)