Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić announced today that the contract on the sale of Čačanska Bank to Turkish Halkbank should be signed in ten days.

Ljajić said at the conference entitled “Improving economic relations between Turkey and Serbia”, which was held in Belgrade, that the arrival of the Turkish bank is important for improving relations between the two countries.

The negotiations are in their final phase and we are expecting a positive response from the Turkish side as there have been no complaints, stated Ljajić.

Ljajić pointed out that the arrival of the Turkish banks on the Serbian market is very important.

As an example, he cited Macedonia where Halkbank made available to the development of small businesses third of the total loans it provided.

Ljajić said that the government expects this bank to assist in lending to small and medium-sized enterprises, and noted that this would be a signal for other Turkish investors to come to Serbia.