Bosnian Ambassador pays courtesy call to VP

Jakarta-wapresri.go.id. Vice President Jusuf Kalla received a courtesy call of the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B & H) Mohamed Cengic in the Office of the Vice President on Jalan Merdeka Utara, Jakarta on Friday (Feb. 17).

Ambassador Cengic on that occasion delivered an invitation from the Chairman of the Presidency of B & H Mladen Ivanić to the Vice President to attend and give a keynote speech at the 8th International Investment Conference (IIC) which will be held on May 22 to 23, 2017 in Sarajevo.

IIC, said Cengic, is a prominent event in the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe and attended by many heads of state and government.

Ambassador Cengic felt certain that this event will be the beginning of a new history of cooperation among Indonesia, B & H, and the region.

This annual forum, he further said, was initially initiated by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), but later evolved with broader participants.

According to Cengic, some large banks from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Malaysia, Turkey, and more than 30 other countries have participated in this annual event. Last year, he said, about 1,600 participants participated in the forum.

“I hope Indonesia as the largest Muslim country could also participate in this event,” he said.

Ambassador Cengic assured, although B & H is a country of less than 4 million people, the country is highly competitive and growing, especially in the field of military industry, energy, and food.

“The presence of Indonesia can open up business opportunities in the region,” said Cengic.

Cengic added, as fellow members of the Non-Aligned Movement since Bosnia was still a part of Yugoslavia, B & H expected to tie a close relationship with Indonesia.

B & H, he added, also intends to expand its cooperation with ASEAN countries through Indonesia.

In response, the Vice President thanked Ambassador Cengic for the invitation to attend the 8th IIC. The Vice President stated that he would confirm his attendance through the Head of the Secretariat of the Vice President.

The Vice President also welcomed the cooperation opportunities offered by B & H to Indonesia. According to him, cooperation between the two countries has long existed.

“Long before Yugoslavia break up [into smaller countries], in Makassar for example, there was cooperation in the field of electricity,” added the vice president.

Accompanying the Vice President in the meeting were Head of the Secretariat of the Vice President Mohamad Oemar and Vice President’s Expert Team member Sofjan Wanandi.