Prishtina, 08 February 2013 – Minister of Economic Development, Besim Beqaj, met today with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Suma Chakrabarti, with whom he discussed on recent economic developments, with special emphasis on development-related projects, foreign investments and inclusion of this institution in these processes.

During this meeting, Minister Beqaj informed the Head of EBRD on preparations for the Conference on Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Efficiency, while his counterpart confirmed that this institution will be part of the said conference, whereby it will support projects coming from the private and public sector, both at the central and local levels.

He underscored that EBRD may be engaged in various projects in the sphere of telecommunications and infrastructure, which can directly influence the lives of citizens, including water-supply, waste-water treatment and treatment of solid waste.

In this meeting, Minister Beqaj and the Head of EBRD also discussed on the compilation of a three-year strategy for EBRD Kosovo, and on spheres of EBRD’s activities in Kosovo. It was emphasized that feasible projects could be funded by EBRD even during this year.

For his part, President Chakrabarti stressed that upon Kosovo’s membership in EBRD new inter-institutional cooperation opportunities are created between these two respective institutions.

Further, he reemphasized EBRD’s readiness to support Kosovo, especially in projects that are deemed crucial for improving lives of Kosovo citizens.