Pivić at ZEPS Fair Opening: Government Ready to Serve All Investors

(Patria) - The 30th General BiH Fair ZEPS was ceremonially opened at Kamberovića polje, gathering 400 exhibitors with around 1,200 brands on an exhibition area of approximately 20,000 square meters.

The fair runs until October 5th, and the partner country is the Republic of Turkey, which is presenting itself in a special exhibition hall with 35 large companies.

The Prime Minister of Zenica-Doboj Canton, Nezir Pivić, welcoming numerous guests from home and abroad, expressed satisfaction that the Government he leads played an important role in reviving the fair, and especially in attracting Turkey as a partner country.

- I am happy and proud that we have reached this great day for our Zenica and our economy. For almost two and a half decades, ZEPS was one of the symbols of Zenica and an event we all eagerly awaited.

I am also proud as the Prime Minister of Zenica-Doboj Canton for our contribution to the revival of ZEPS - said Prime Minister Pivić.

He thanked the organizer, the company Tapas from Zenica, the license holder of ZEPS, and especially Šefik Avdagić, the President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, who dedicated himself to ensuring that major companies from all over Turkey, members of the second largest chamber of commerce in the world, would come to the fair.

He welcomed foreign exhibitors, stating that they can find partners in all industries and sectors in this canton, as dozens of small and medium-sized enterprises operating successfully and oriented towards export markets are active in ZDK.

- Our canton is truly the engine of the real sector of FBiH and the state of BiH! I am sure that the incentive measures of the cantonal government have contributed to this.

Our story of strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises and crafts began almost two decades ago, and many incentive programs and measures were pioneering in this region.

The goal of these measures was to empower companies and crafts and create an environment in local communities for attracting investments, opening new facilities, and employment - said the Prime Minister of ZDK.

He emphasized that the Government of ZDK has made the biggest leap in financial terms this year, allocating a record 9.4 million KM for economic incentives, of which 3 million is for strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, one million for supporting crafts and traditional trades, and half a million each for strengthening tourism and supporting the organization and participation in fairs, including the ZEPS fair.

- For years, we have been encouraging and assisting in the construction of business zones. We have 22 of them with thousands of employees, and there is not a single business zone where the Government and the Ministry of Economy have not participated in their construction. The Government I lead has made a strong shift towards the economy and entrepreneurs.

We do not want and cannot reduce everything to administrative measures and procedures, but we have engaged in seeking new investors and partners. Hence the story of our engagement and support for ZEPS and partnership with Turkey - said Prime Minister Pivić.

He pointed out that the doors of the ZDK Government are open to investors from all over the world, as well as to domestic investors, for whom he wants to be a service, and who want to leverage the comparative advantages of this region, one of the most significant being its geographical location and proximity to the Western European market.

The President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Šekib Avdagić, who was born in Zenica and has lived and worked in Turkey for decades, expressed his satisfaction that the Republic of Turkey had the opportunity to present its economic achievements at the ZEPS fair, stating that companies from that country are ready to invest capital in BiH.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the official opening of the fair, a tour of the fairgrounds was held, during which the electric SUV "Togg", the pride of the Turkish automotive industry, was presented for the first time outside the borders of the Republic of Turkey.

Avdagić said that this is further confirmation of how much Turkey values strengthening cooperation between the two countries in all fields.