'Balkan Davos' begins in Sarajevo

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - A major business conference in Bosnia dubbed the ‘Balkan Davos’ began Monday with Turkey playing a prominent role.

The eighth Sarajevo Business Forum (SBF) will feature contributions from Bosnian leaders and guests such as the Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Economic Affairs Minister Darmin Nasution.

Turkey's Deputy Economy Minister Fatih Metin is also among this year's speakers.

Anadolu Agency is the global communications partner for the two-day event.

On the first day of the forum two panels will be held -- "One Region, One Economy - Connectivity and Potential" and "Southeast Europe - Bridging the East and West".

The second day will see panels on Southeast Asia, Dubai and Southeast European modernization.

The SBF focuses on expanding regional economic cooperation and attracting international investment to Southeast Europe.

It sets the scene for exchanges between top government officials and key business figures in Bosnia, as well as other countries in the Balkans.

Investors and leaders from Gulf countries, Asia and Europe are also participating.

This year the event focuses on building new business alliances, thanks to large-scale participation from India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey.

The Sarajevo Business Forum has been held since 2010 in a collaborative effort by Bosna Bank International and Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank.

Since then, it has been attended by top officials from around the globe. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad, Serbian leader Aleksandar Vucic as well as ministers from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are some of those to have attended to the forum so far.