National Business Forums and Fairs: Political Empty Talk at the Expense of Citizens

By Sead Omeragić

The second Business Forum Jahorina has recently continued the tradition of national gatherings for alleged economic changes for the better.

The official report from this gathering begins: “A large number of political officials attended the plenary session”... Obviously, for a quarter of a century, not a single step has been taken forward from politics in these regions.

National business forums are just being lined up, garnished with a political background. In fact, all business forums and fairs held so far leave only a bitter feeling of political hypocrisy. These gatherings also feature people who manage their nations with political and conducting batons.

In mid-April 2017, the Mostar Fair took place, a fair of national political vanity. For years, this fair has been a place where Dragan Čović gathers and hosts leaders for his personal promotion. It is a day when the regional political elite steps away from their dry political stories. They gather and chat like true political cooperators, as they are dependent on each other. All nations are present, so Bakir Izetbegović was there, as one of the few domestic products of the Mostar Fair.

All these economic forums show the essence of the lies of national oligarchies. These gatherings once again show that politics governs the economy in all parts of the Balkan empire of primitivism.

On all other days, they manage human misery and existential decline. Only during these few days of fairs and forums do the leaders remember the economy.

The only problem arises when it comes to stating how much investment and job creation resulted from each gathering. Those in Sarajevo are record-holders in signing contracts with investors. On September 12, 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Sarajevo Canton and the Investment Corporation of Dubai (Arab Investment Fund) was signed in the Sarajevo City Hall. The signatories were the Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Elmedin Konaković and the company's executive director Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani. What happened with the signature is unknown.

One of the hosts to the major investors was also the director of BBI, Amer Bukvić, who, by all accounts, is connected to this Fund, and according to some information, they are linked to the ownership of BBI bank and BBI Real Estate, headed by Sead Živalj.

Bukvić once offered Agrokomerc's assets to representatives of this fund.

The projects to which the Memorandum would apply were not specified, but potential investors visited several locations from Bjelašnica to the Jajce barracks. The signing was also attended by the presidents of SDA and SBB, Bakir Izetbegović and Fahrudin Radončić, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Zvizdić, the Prime Minister of FBiH, Fadil Novalić, ministers from the governments of FBiH, KS...

The seventh international investment conference Sarajevo Business Forum (SBF) - Perspectives China + 16 CEEC, which took place in May 2016, gathered numerous delegations of political and business leaders from the region and the world. Allegedly, 11 billion euros were to be invested in the region.

Perhaps it was invested, but we didn't feel it. On the margins of the Sarajevo Business Forum, a contract worth one and a half billion KM in investments was concluded. In translation, the construction of new blocks of the Thermal Power Plant in Tuzla was agreed upon with Chinese investors. It is not known if one and a half billion KM ever reached Bosnia and Herzegovina. Has anyone perhaps seen these new blocks at the Tuzla Thermal Power Plant?

From the Sarajevo Business Forum today, we only have the construction of apartments and their sale to interested citizens of Sarajevo.

Buroy Ozone promised to build hills and valleys. Only valleys remain on the hill, which are now intended for sale. Many compare this to Belgrade Waterfront. As things stand, we will have Sarajevo on ice.

U-laganje continues.