Serbia and other Western Balkan countries need a stronger Germany, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said at a World Economic Forum debate in Davos, where he said Serbia had doubled its GDP in the past 10 years.
Participants in the debate on the “New Eurasian Dawn” included Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Mirek Dusek from the World Economic Programme, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Turkish businessman Cenk Alper, and Kazakhstan’s Economy Minister Alibek Kuantirov.
Vučić, who commented about the EU-Western Balkans relationship, expressed gratitude to EU taxpayers for the support Serbia receives and highlighted the economic impact of the current recession in Germany in the region.
“When Germany coughs, we get pneumonia,” he quipped.
Commenting on the respective governments of Garibashvili and Kuantirov, Vučić commended Georgia for its economic success and praised Kazakhstan’s economic results.
Vučić also emphasised the necessity of Chinese investments for development, rejecting EU pressure and asserting Serbia’s commitment to Chinese investments, constituting 30% of total foreign investments.
“Some always appease EU officials while lamenting financial troubles. This is not the case with Serbia,” Vučić added.
Kuantirov agreed with Vučić, emphasising that governments should prioritise their economy and people rather than aligning with specific nations.
Vučić also mentioned the projected 3.5% GDP growth for Serbia this year and said he was confident Serbia could even surpass that figure. He also underlined Serbia’s consistent economic growth, attributing 60-64% of foreign direct investments to Europe and 32-33% to Asia.
The Serbian president also highlighted the shift in global economic power towards Asia and stressed the importance of links with Asian countries. He also praised the creation of the European Political Community, which allows for discussions between EU and non-EU countries.
(Jelena Nikolić | Euractiv.rs )
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Source: euractiv.com
