The Bosnian Prime Minister thanked him for Hungary's strong and unreserved support for Sarajevo's European path.Continue reading
Hungary’s accumulated capital is now looking for investment opportunities outside of the country, the Prime Minister announced on Friday in Banja Luka, Bosnia, at the opening of a business forum organized by Hungary and Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb Republic).
Speaking at the event, Viktor Orbán noted that Banja Luka and its surroundings are well-ordered, and that this is a country with a future, “because the future of the economy always depends on the quality of people, and the environment is the expression of that.”
If politics can stabilize this region, then there will be a predictable economic environment here,”
he said.
He pointed out that economic forecasts in Western Europe show very low growth potential, and Germany is in recession. With growth of two-and-a-half percent this year, Hungary is a “king,” he said.
The Prime Minister added that the dynamism of the European economy lies currently in the Balkans, because here “people want to work and can work,” there is a high industrial and agricultural culture, like in Hungary, and there is a desire for cooperation. There is a “counter-argument in the business world that this is the most complicated state in the world,” he continued, adding that this is true for Sarajevo but not for Banja Luka, where things can be done, and therefore fears of bureaucracy can be “put aside.”
Orbán said that he believes in this region, because 14 years ago the Hungarian economy was in a terrible condition, and the size of the Hungarian economy was 70% smaller than it is today. Since then, Hungary has made a journey that others can also make, and “this dynamism and this development can be achieved here,” he stressed.
He noted that 14 years ago, Hungarian companies would not have been here because Hungary was an extremely capital-poor country. “Today we have regional champions” and some 1,500 companies able to invest abroad, he said.
He added that he expects the Serbian government to clearly state in which sectors Hungarians are welcome and where they are not welcome, because “we will not come to those sectors where they do not want competition.” As he pointed out,
this country belongs to the Serbs, which is why there are Hungarian companies here that work in the areas that the Serbs have designated for them.”
“It is important that the local people accept us, and that they feel that we are bringing opportunities to those areas where there is a need for investment and development,” the Prime Minister stressed. “This is a two-way street,” he said, indicating that Hungary is waiting for Serbs “both as employees and as entrepreneurs,” because cooperation creates opportunities.
Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Orbán Viktor