There are no irresolvable issues between Bulgaria and Croatia and, on the political level, there have never been more favorable conditions for a sincere cooperation and good-neighborly relations.  Only together can we make Southeast Europe a region of prosperity and stability, President Rosen Plevneliev, who opened together with Croatian President Ivo Josipovich a joint Bulgarian-Croatian business forum, said today.

The two Heads of State called on the representatives of the Croatian Economy Chamber and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for strengthening the contacts between the businesses from the two countries and for increasing the mutual investments.

According to President Rosen Plevneliev, the Balkans are an example of showing a responsible attitude and a quick transformation of a region in which 60 million people live. “We have long ago realized that we can prosper only if we are together.  Where a factory will be located makes no difference because the investors are interested in the region as a whole, not in every individual country. Therefore we need roads, railways, efficient customs authorities, harbors and related networks – energy and transport ones,” the President said.

“23 years ago we developed our economy unilaterally. However, today we believe that our economy can develop well only if it achieves balance on more than one bases.   This means that we should look toward the Asian markets and the Middle East, and on the other hand – look at our region which offers extraordinary opportunities,” Rosen Plevneliev further added.

President Ivo Josipovic told the businesses from the two countries that the potential of the bilateral economic cooperation is underdeveloped. The trade between Bulgaria and Croatia has even declined by 7 percent in 2012,  Josipovic said.

Croatia is taking measures to restore the economic growth, which include preserving the financial stability, continuing the reforms and improving the conditions for the entrepreneurs. These measures also include removing the unnecessary administrative obstacles the business is facing and a lot of encouraging measures for the foreign investors, the Croatian President said.

The sectors highlighted at the forum as offering good prospects for cooperation between Bulgaria and Croatia are those of transport, construction, energy, tourism and the food industry.