The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke at the greeting about a jump in economic relations between Greece and Serbia and about very large opportunities for investments and synergies in many different sectors, such as construction, infrastructure, real estate management, energy, and waste management of the Serbian-Greek Business Forum. Mr. Mitsotakis made a special mention of the increase in the minimum wage in both countries and the ongoing modernization of the railway network.

The following is the full speech of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Serbian-Greek Business Forum in Belgrade:

Honorable President of the Republic of Serbia, dear Aleksandar, honorable Ministers, dear Siniša (Mali), dear Marko (Čadež),

It is really a great honor for me and my colleagues to be able to be with you at the opening of the work of the Serbian-Greek Business Forum.

Thank you very much once again, my dear President, for the invitation to visit your country, together with many prominent members of our business community. I think that this invitation offers an opportunity to form new synergies also in view of Specialized Expo 2027. I congratulate the Government of Serbia for the thorough preparation of this very important business event.

And of course, our presence here is another proof that the friendship between Serbia and Greece is historically firmly founded.

I really believe, as we had the opportunity to discuss with Mr. President, that 2024 is an opportunity to be able to make a big leap in our economic relations. Our bilateral trade is around 750 million euros, but it is certain that we can do much more.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Greek companies accompanying us – and of course, as we said, we could have brought many more companies, we reserve the right to do so at some point in the future – to look very carefully at the significant economic progress that Serbia has achieved in recent years. Because, the numbers that Siniša presented to us cannot be easily disputed in terms of growth rates, in terms of the ambitious goals of Serbia’s GDP – why not? – to reach 100 billion euros in 2027.

All this development momentum offers very great opportunities for investment and synergies in many different sectors: construction – we have seen how many important projects are underway -, infrastructure, real estate management, energy, waste management.

And I am sure, my dear President, that Greek businesses will seize this opportunity to be part of the success of the Serbian economy.

Our own economy, you know, is also in a phase not very different from the course of the economy of Serbia, coming out of a prolonged economic crisis. We have also managed to make our own significant financial overruns. In 2022, our exports of goods and products exceeded 70 billion euros. I watched the unemployment figures very carefully: we also managed to bring unemployment down from 18% to below 10%. We broke the 10% barrier after 14 years. And of course, this responsible economic policy of the country was also appreciated by the major rating agencies, which returned us to the investment grade.

And of course I attach great importance to something, which I see also happening here in Serbia: the increase of the minimum and also the average salary. In our country alone in the last four years we have succeeded and created 310,000 new jobs. It is interesting, I was looking at the financial data, that four years ago 33% of Greeks were paid with salaries between 1,000 and 3,000 euros. Today it is 42%. This means that average wages follow the course of the economy. And so we can ultimately create prosperity for all.

And of course, I cannot hide – seeing Serbia’s plans – the natural, geopolitical and economic synergies between our two countries. The great importance, for example, that we attach to the road and railway axes that will connect Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, with central Europe.

When I look at Serbia I see a dynamic export economy. And Serbia will want tomorrow not only to import products but to export its products to world markets. From where can he do it? We want a large part of these exports to be able to pass through Greece. But that’s why we need modern trains and modern roads. And our country, dear Aleksandar, is already investing in upgrading the railway network from Thessaloniki to Idomeni so that we can meet these great needs.

When I look at the energy map, I see obvious synergies: short-term, in terms of being able to supply Serbia with natural gas, but also exploiting the significant natural gas reserves. And medium – long term, when we figure out how we can help Serbia with its own green transition.

My country is already one of the top ten countries in the world in the production of electricity from Renewable Energy Sources. We produce almost 50% of our electricity from the sun and from the wind and we want to be able to transfer this know-how here in Serbia and develop new investment opportunities.

And finally, we also discussed it with the President, our banks which were forced during the difficult years of the crisis, were rather forced to leave the Balkan market. As they now have much stronger balance sheets I am sure they will develop an interest in returning to Serbia to be able to co-finance all these important economic development projects.

So I close, my dear President, in order not to take too long, expressing once again my joy to be here at the head of a great business mission, but also my optimism for the great expectations, which are co-shaped in terms of our economic cooperation. We had the opportunity to discuss politics in the morning.

But since, you know, politics is economics after all, Serbia’s greater integration into Europe’s economic fabric is itself an important legacy for Serbia to claim its place in the European family, where I firmly believe it belongs. .