Bucharest: Ambassador Tomašević at the conference of the Union of Bilateral Chambers of Commerce from Romania

The main topic of the conference was the economic impact of the current crisis. Attendees included representatives of Romanian institutions, the diplomatic corps and non-governmental organisations, as well as many businesspeople.

In his speech, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Bucharest Stefan Tomašević emphasised the importance of making connections and strengthening the economic cooperation in the current global geopolitical context. Ambassador Tomašević talked about economic successes that the Republic of Serbia had achieved in spite of the current crisis, due to previously undertaken measures and good preparatory actions, which had a key impact on the performance of the Serbian economy. He also highlighted exceptional results in terms of creating a stimulating investment and business environment, as well as the commitment to digitalisation, energy diversification and an increasing use of renewable energy.
 
As regards the bilateral relations between Serbia and Romania, Ambassador Tomašević stressed the traditional friendship between the two countries as an excellent basis for developing cooperation in all the fields for which the economy is very important.

Although the year 2021 saw a record high trade volume between Serbia and Romania, he emphasised that there was still major untapped potential, in particular in terms of attracting direct investments, as well as intensifying trade, achieving a better cooperation between the private and the public sector, and making connections between the Chambers of Commerce, businesspeople, districts and municipalities. Ambassador Tomašević also talked about the great importance of the Danube River and its tourism potential, in addition to its importance for transport.

A part of his speech was dedicated to the significance of regional connections in the time of challenges and crises that the world is now facing.

As a positive example, he named the Open Balkan Initiative, created as a mechanism for making better connections in the Balkans, particularly in terms of economy, by ensuring free circulation of people, goods, capital and services. He stressed that this initiative currently included the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Albania, but was open for other participants of WB6 too.

Ambassador Tomašević informed the other attendees that the biggest wine fair ever organised in the region had been held in Belgrade in September 2022, titled “Wine Vision by Open Balkan”, under the sponsorship of President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and our governments, attended by over 400 wine producers from over 20 countries, including Romania, as well as many distributors, sommeliers and representatives of the wine industry. In his words, the purpose of this event was to promote the spirit of the region, our cultures and traditions.

In conclusion, Ambassador Tomašević said that this was the right way and a good example of how to make regional connections and promote the advantages of the local market, providing opportunities for local entrepreneurs and fighting for their well-being and sustainability on a market full of competitors, which was often overwhelming due to our lack of unity, focus and strategic thinking, the fundamental principles in terms of the sustainable development goals.