Business Fair opened in Tešanj, more than 300 exhibitors participating

(Patria) - Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Fadil Novalić today, together with representatives of state and cantonal authorities, the Association of Entrepreneurs “Biznis centar“ Jelah-Tešanj, which is the organizer of this fair, and the Ambassador of Romania to BiH, officially opened the 16th International Business Fair Tešanj – BiH 2022 by cutting the ribbon.

In his address at the official opening, Prime Minister Novalić expressed his satisfaction at attending a gathering aimed at strengthening the economy and international cooperation, and highlighted the entrepreneurial spirit, hard work, and innovation of the local businessmen, for which they are recognized worldwide.

- The resilience and adaptability of our businessmen is something we can all be proud of. When the world began to recover from the pandemic, new crises in the form of global inflation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine hit. Nevertheless, none of this managed to discourage our businessmen. This is supported by data from the Agency for Statistics of BiH, which shows that the real gross domestic product growth in 2021 was 7.5 percent, which was recognized even by the World Bank as a positive surprise and something exceptional. Furthermore, BiH recorded its highest exports ever last year, and according to data for the first eight months, we are on track to break another record. You who are here today represent the face of this success and the engine of our development – said Prime Minister Novalić.

Emphasizing the commitment to continue supporting businessmen, he also recalled that the Government of the Federation of BiH has done a great job in preserving economic stability in recent years, and during the pandemic allocated significant funds to preserve jobs and the liquidity of the economy.

- In addition, by managing the budget in a responsible and prudent manner, we have restored the stability of public finances and resolved several important social issues. Record public revenues and our relative lack of debt allow us to make an even greater leap forward in the coming period and invest significant funds in strengthening our international competitiveness - said Prime Minister Novalić.

He highlighted four areas that have the greatest impact on the economy and which he therefore sees as absolute priorities for any future government.

- The first relates to infrastructure works. Among other things, we are here today at a location where work is being prepared on a 31-kilometer section, worth 600 million euros. The second concerns our energy transition, which has also shown in this crisis to be the most important after food. The third priority is to focus on our youth to prevent them from leaving BiH. And finally, the fourth must be an uncompromising fight against corruption - said Prime Minister Novalić.

Prime Minister Novalić is also participating today in the panel discussion “Global Economic Crisis – Impact on BiH and the Countries of the Region“, which is being held as part of the Fair.

Otherwise, the Government of the Federation of BiH is a partner of the 16th International Business Fair Tešanj – BiH 2022, which is being held from September 21 to 24. More than 300 exhibitors, businessmen from BiH, the region, and EU countries, public companies, representatives of chambers of commerce, public administration, international organizations, and diplomatic missions are participating in the Fair.