Speeches
Address by Chairman Zvizdić at Fifth Summit of 16 Pime Ministers of Central and Eastern European Countries with Prime Minister of PR China (16+1)
11/10/2016
Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine
Esteemed Premier Keqiang
Dear Prime Minister Kučunskis,
Dear Colleagues, Prime Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased today to take part in the Fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of the People's Republic of China and 16 Central and Eastern European Countries.
This Fifth Summit is a proof of the significant progress we have made together in strengthening the cooperation among our 17 friendly countries, which is further underlined by the theme of this year's Summit: “Enhanced Connectivity for Common Advancement.”
I am pleased to take this opportunity and present you the positive developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
One of the most important points is the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina has successfully met all requirements defined by the European Union, and in September this year our application for European Union membership was accepted. This decision was based on the credible implementation of economic and social reforms and on the successful realisation of our commitments under the European Agenda for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, in December this year Bosnia and Herzegovina will receive a questionnaire that represents the next step to getting the status of a candidate country, which will open a new chapter in our relations with the European Union. Bosnia and Herzegovina should therefore, and this is something I wish to emphasise, be granted the status of a candidate country by the end of 2017.
Another important point I wish to emphasise is that we continue with implementation of a number of reform measures in the fields of tax policy, improvement of business climate, labour market, enhancing competitiveness and creating conditions to attract foreign investment.
The reforms we have implemented over the last 15 months have already resulted in positive developments, among which particularly important are a 3.1% increase in GDP and the creation of 25.000 new jobs. All vital economic indicators in Bosnia and Herzegovina – growth of exports, growth of industrial production, growth of tourism – are on the rise. We are determined to make good use of this positive momentum and, despite the difficulty of the reforms we are carrying through, to continue with our strong implementation of measures and activities defined in our strategic plans.
Dear Colleagues,
Bosnia and Herzegovina has agreed with the text of the “Three Seas Initiative” and we are convinced that this initiative is a good basis for promoting cooperation and developing industrial capacities of our countries. I also believe that it is necessary to emphasise the need to strengthen “in land” infrastructure, i.e. rail and road infrastructure as well as waterways, in order to strengthen transport corridors and facilitate movement of people and goods.
In this regard I emphasise our interest in the construction of the Beograd-Sarajevo-Ploče railway, further construction of the pan-European Corridor Vc, construction of the Adriatic-Ionian motorway and modernisation of river ports, which in our case is the port of Brčko.
The energy and transport sectors remain our priority, as they are the most promising vehicles for domestic and foreign investment.
With regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina, please let me inform you about the projects that are in progress, and please let me also list new projects that we are planning to propose, which are consistent with the 16+1 cooperation objectives.
We are aware that a high level of legal protection is the basis for any foreign investment. In this regard I wish to note that Bosnia and Herzegovina maintains bilateral relations with most of the attending countries in the field of mutual legal aid, including the People's Republic of China.
The project of preparation of the construction of the thermal power plant Tuzla Blok 7 with 450MW of generation capacity is in its final phase and the signing of the financial part of the contract will take place today. Contracts have been signed earlier for the construction of the 350 MW TPP Banovici, as well as for the construction of a wind farm in Tomislavgrad and the construction of the Glamočani-Mliništa road.
Projects for which negotiations are in progress include: construction of the Banja Luka-Prijedor motorway; construction of sections on the Corridor Vc; construction of the Prenj tunnel; construction of hydropower plants “Dabar” and “Buk Bijela”; and construction of railway infrastructure. Bosnia and Herzegovina needs foreign investors for these projects and we intend to apply for project funding available under the 16+1 platform.
I also wish to note the interest of Bosnia and Herzegovina in exporting agricultural products to China, and in this regard I express our willingness to sign an Agreement on Agricultural Cooperation with the People's Republic of China.
Working on projects of common interest will surely contribute to economic development of our countries, because the very purpose of this Summit is to initiate business partnerships that will result in new investment projects, exchange of knowledge and easier movement of people and goods. A testimony to this is today's signing of an Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the People's Republic of China on mutual visa abolition for official and diplomatic passports.
Your Excellences,
Bosnia and Herzegovina is very much interested in strengthening bilateral and economic relations with the People's Republic of China as well as other Central and Eastern European countries, and in this regard I express our wish to host a future Summit of 16+1 Heads of Government.
Please also let me take this opportunity to invite you to come next year to Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the Agricultural Products and Wine Fair will take place in April 2017, as well as to Sarajevo to attend a Conference on cooperation in tourism.
Please allow me once more to express my respect and gratitude to the Republic of Latvia for exceptional organisation of this year's Summit.
Thank you.
(the end)