Ankara, May 14, 2013

H. E. Mr. Rasim Ljajić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia, has signed today, together with Turkish Minister of Economy, H. E. Mr. Zafer Caglayan and Bosnia-Herzegovina Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations H. E. Mr. Mirko Šarović, the Declaration on Economic and Trade Cooperation between three countries. The Declaration includes enhacements of trade and economic relations between three countries, as well as joint access to third and fourth countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic said that the signing of the Declaration is excellent introduction to the trilateral meeting of the Presidents of Serbia, Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which will be held tomorrow, adding that the good political relations between the three countries must be accompanied by adequate economic cooperation.

"Political Trilateralism will not have its full meaning and capacity, if it is not accompanied by concrete forms of economic cooperation. As you know, there is a certain lack of confidence when it comes to political Trilateralism, but if the citizens of our countries see tangible benefits of cooperation between Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Turkey, this distrust will disappear, "Ljajic told reporters after  signing of the Declaration.

"Minister Šarović and I agreed that our joint initiative does not remain only on Turkey, but to try to expand  it eventualy to Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation," Ljajic said.

He said that the potential for a joint appearance of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are in the areas of tourism, energy, construction, agriculture, food industry and the military and economic cooperation with Turkey.

Ljajic and Šarović agreed that it is important for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to have signed such a document with the country that is economically so strong like Turkey.

Minister Caglayan called the signing of the Declaration an historical act, adding that Turkey is looking forward to every form of deepening economic cooperation between the three countries.

The three ministers agreed that the next trilateral meeting will be held in Sarajevo, in the near future, and at that time a business forum of the three countries will also be held.