Serbia and other Western Balkan countries need a stronger Germany, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić told a World Economic Forum debate in Davos, where he said Serbia had doubled its GDP over the of the last ten 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 of the World Economic Program, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, the businessman Turkish Cenk Alper and the Minister of Economy of Kazakhstan. Alibek Kuantirov.
Vučić, who commented on relations between the EU and the Western Balkans, expressed gratitude to European taxpayers for the support Serbia receives and highlighted the economic impact of Germany’s current recession in the region.
“When Germany coughs, we get pneumonia,” he joked.
Commenting on the respective governments of Garibashvili and Kuantirov, Vučić congratulated Georgia on its economic success and praised Kazakhstan’s economic results.
Vučić also stressed the need for Chinese investments for development, rejecting EU pressure and affirming Serbia’s commitment to Chinese investments, which constitute 30% of total foreign investments.
“Some still appease European officials while deploring financial difficulties. This is not the case for Serbia,” Vučić added.
Kuantirov agreed with Vučić, emphasizing that governments should prioritize their economies and populations rather than aligning with specific nations.
Vučić also mentioned the expected GDP growth of 3.5% for Serbia this year and expressed confidence that Serbia could even exceed this figure. He also highlighted Serbia’s steady economic growth, attributing 60-64% of foreign direct investment to Europe and 32-33% to Asia.
The Serbian president also highlighted the shift of global economic power to Asia and stressed the importance of ties with Asian countries. He also welcomed the creation of the European Political Community, which allows discussions between EU countries and third countries.
(Jelena Nikolić | Euractiv.rs)
