Prishtinë, 20.12.2016 – Economic Diplomacy is related to attraction of foreign investitures, and not only companies in the private sector, but I also believe in attracting the attention and interest of international financial institutions, which also supported our country until now, stated Minister of Economic Development, Blerand Stavileci.

Stavileci made these comments today at the Fourth Conference of Kosovo Ambassadors, held in Prishtina, where he participated as a panelist in the third Panel “Economic diplomacy and attraction of foreign investments”.

Stavileci said that now the country has new opportunities to increase its focus of support, especially in strategic sectors, but also in other attractive sectors, by emphasizing the fields that have preconditions for a sustainable economic development; energy, telecommunications and infrastructure.

In terms of infrastructure, Minister Stavileci said that this field is in the agenda of the Berlin Process meeting, which includes project such as the Motorway Kosovo Albania, Conceded Airport, Motorway Kosovo-Macedonia which is due to end in 2018 and the project that is due to start, Railway No. 10, which links Kosovo-Macedonia in the South and with Serbia in the North which is due to start next year.

The head of the MED said that the second field without which there can be no sustainable economic development is the field of energy. He said that the Government has placed five objectives and all of them are in line with projects being implemented.

– Objective one is ensuring regular supply with electric energy through construction of new capacities and regeneration of existing capacities.
– Objective two is integration of our system in the regional energy market.
– Objective three is, development of capacities of thermal energy, which is related to protection of environment.
– Objective four is connection to the gas network and
– Objective five is, development of renewable sources of energy and implementation of EE measures.

Along these lines, Stavileci said that we have advanced pretty much in terms of legislative agenda, by emphasizing the package of energy laws and the Energy Strategy 2017-2026.

Whereas in terms of the field of information and electronic communication technology, the head of the MED said that the ICT Fund has already been budgeted, and the work is on the way on the ICT Incubator and establishment of creative economy and innovation centers.

In this occasion Stavileci invited Kosovo diplomats to present the country’s potential in the countries where they are accredited and during their contacts with investors, by assessing that economic diplomacy is a good opportunity for attraction of investments.