Belgrade/Washington, 2 June 2015 – Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic began his three-day visit to Washington by meetings with representatives of the biggest US companies interested in investing in Serbia, and with representatives of companies that already operate in the territory of Serbia and intend to increase their capacity.

Vucic first was met with representatives of the company General Electric, with whom he discussed cooperation in the fields of energy, health, transport and airline industry.

The Prime Minister underlined that Serbia has carried out all legal reforms in order to provide a quicker and easier realisation of investments to foreign investors.

He informed representatives of General Electric about the economic reforms undertaken by the Serbian government, which have turned our country into economically stable and safe for foreign investment.

Vucic said that Serbia is ready to provide to American companies the best business conditions in the Western Balkans and support of the Serbian government.

Vice President of General Electric Karan Bhatia said that this company is open to new investments in Serbia, to exchange of good practice and the creation of more jobs.

He pointed to the importance of cooperation with the Serbian government on two projects in the field of renewable energy sources – construction of wind parks in Dolovo and Kovacica. 

On 11 June General Electric is organising “Sourcing Day” in association with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Serbian Parliament, which will be a chance to examine the opportunity for launching production in Serbia and hiring Serbian contractors in the chain of General Electric companies.

Today Vucic also met with the management of companies ITI and NCR, and with representatives of the company Freeport-McMoRan, who informed him about the progress of the project "Chukaru Peki" for the exploitation of cooper and gold, four kilometres north of Bor.
 

Senior Vice President for Exploration at Freeport-McMoRan Richard Leveille expressed satisfaction with the company’s work in Serbia so far and underlined that they want to be a model of a successful foreign investment in Serbia.

He said that Freeport-McMoRan will invest $18.73 million this year in the continuation of research on the project "Chukaru Peki" near Bor. 

Vucic asked representatives of this company to help the Serbian government to find a strategic partner for the Bor mining and metallurgical complex (RTB Bor). 

Addressing the press after the meeting, he said he is pleased with the interest of American companies in Serbia and underlined that the arrival of these companies means a wider support of the United States to our country. 

The Prime Minister will also visit Microsoft, where he will speak about the improvement of public service for citizens and companies through introduction of contemporary IT solutions. 

Microsoft Serbia employs around 250 young people, which is a clear indicator of development of its business activity, but of Serbia’s potential in the field of IT too. 

During this afternoon local time Prime Minister Vucic is scheduled to meet with representatives of the Serbian diaspora in the United States.