Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić said that the Government’s goal is to attract more than a hundred Turkish companies to Serbia by the end of the year, and for the trade exchange with Turkey to exceed USD 1 billion.

At the opening ceremony of the office of the Turkish electronics producer “Beko” in Belgrade, which is planned to become its regional business center and hire over a hundred employees in the next five years, Ljajić said that Turkey is ranked 15th among Serbia’s trade partners.

“This is the golden era in the economic relations between Serbia and Turkey, as never before has there been greater interest of Turkish investors in coming to Serbia,” said Ljajić.

He said that talks are underway with two other companies planning to invest in Serbia – a textile company and a company operating in the field of automotive industry which is about to open a subsidiary in Vladičin Han.

Ljajić recalled that Turkey’s state-owned “Halkbank” became the majority owner of “Čačanska banka”, and expressed his expectation that the arrival of “Beko” will be a signal to other investors to come to Serbia.