1st November 2021

GREAT INVESTMENT CONFERENCE OF SERBIA IN DUBAI – SIGNIFICANT CONTRACTS AND INVESTMENTS ARE EXPECTED

Serbia is an attractive destination for investment, and the real estate sector offers numerous opportunities for further investment and development, which is a chance for investors, not only from the UAE region, but from around the world. The goal of the Republic of Serbia is to continue the investment cycle by attracting new investors, primarily with high-tech and advanced investment projects, which will bring to Serbia faster GDP growth and further development of its economy. This is the conclusion outlined at the first investment conference held at the Serbian pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, during the theme week "Urban and Rural Development".

A large number of companies and potential investors attended today the investment conference "Invest in Serbia: Real Estate" held at the Pavilion of Serbia at Expo 2020 Dubai, which presented aspects and opportunities for investment in the construction of commercial real estate projects, industrial and retail parks in our country. In addition to presenting opportunities and trends in the sector to the business audience, numerous meetings were held with representatives of companies interested in investing. The idea of the conference and the intent of the organizers of the investment event is to attract, during the EXPO theme week "Urban and Rural Development", investment projects that will enrich Serbia with something completely modern and in line with global trends in construction and real estate.

The conference was officially opened by Tatjana Matić, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications and the General Commissioner of the Republic of Serbia for Expo, who pointed out that she believes that this first investment conference will result in new investments in Serbia in the sector as well as in conclusion of numerous business deals and cooperation agreements.

The Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications and the Commissioner General of the Republic of Serbia for the Expo, Tatjana Matić, said that she was proud to have the opportunity to open the first investment conference and that the presentations and meetings of the Serbian business delegation at the Expo attracted worldwide attention.

"Good relations at the highest level and the partnership we nurture with the United Arab Emirates are very important for our business community, as well as for investors who will have the opportunity to be further convinced that Serbia is a real investment destination where their investments and business ventures will be safe and welcome. Our goal is to increase economic cooperation and the flow of investments between Serbia and the UAE, but also between Serbia and the entire MEASA region, using Dubai and the UAE as the hub for cooperation and the continuation of our good relations," Matić emphasized.

"I am convinced that the arrival of leading investors in the development of commercial projects, industrial and retail parks will be valuable for the development of our country and that this first investment conference will result in new investments in Serbia and in conclusion of numerous business deals and cooperation agreements," she added.

At the conference, the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Tomislav Momirović presented the construction sector, emphasizing that the Expo is a phenomenal opportunity to pass on everything we do and build successfully in our part of the world, and to become even more successful as a country through joint investments.

"Presently, Serbia is the No. 1 country in Europe in terms of the number of kilometers of highways it is building, with a historically high, even growth, in all sub-sectors of the construction industry. We are the first in terms of the volume of investments in the region, we have more than doubled the volume of construction in the last 5 years, and Serbia is proudly among the top ten countries in the world in terms of the speed of issuance of building permits, " Momirović concluded at today's investment event in Dubai.

The Development Agency of Serbia (RAS) which, together with the Operational Team for the realization of Serbia's appearance at EXPO Dubai 2020 organizes investment conferences at the Serbian pavilion, presented to the public what makes Serbia a leader in the region and beyond when it comes to direct investments and why more and more investors from all over the world are choosing Serbia for their future projects. Especially emphasized was the segment of construction and adaptation of spa capacities, which offers room for direct investment in the real estate segment, as well as for encouraging tourism, since spas in Serbia are becoming some of the most attractive destinations among tourists.

RAS Public Relations Advisor Dragana Krunić points out that they are more than satisfied with the response of companies and potential investors to today's investment conference and that they hope for a quick materialization and concrete results from today's meetings.

"As the most visited global event at the moment, Expo is the right place to stay on the upward path of attracting and implementing investment projects, which will enable further and faster growth of our economy, and transfer of knowledge and sophisticated technologies that represent the future," says Krunić.

She adds that this is the first of five planned investment conferences of Serbia at the Expo in Dubai and that according to the plan, each subsequent conference will be dedicated to a specific sector that is characterized by great potential for the realization of new investments.

"We can already announce the next investment conference, which awaits us on December 13. On that occasion, we will promote investment potentials in the automotive and chemical industries, while the remaining conferences in the coming months will focus on food and agriculture, spas and their development, ICT technologies and water and renewable energy sources," concludes the Development Agency’s PR Advisor.

At today's investment event, in addition to the investment potentials of cities and spas, presented were also some of the proven successes of international investors in the field of real estate as well as trends in the real estate market of Serbia.

This is the first time that Serbia, as part of its appearance at the Expo, presents itself through the business and investment component, organizing numerous business meetings, visits, investment conferences, forums and other business events. All these events are organized by the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Development Agency of Serbia and the Operational Team for the realization of Serbia's performance at Expo 2020 Dubai. This conference shows that Serbia makes the best use of its presence and of the one of a kind national pavilion occupying an area of 2,000 square meters at the world event Expo 2020 in Dubai, to present to the world, in a technologically advanced and comprehensive way, a unique and modern image of Serbia.