Delegation of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina talked with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Japan

 
The Delegation of the BiH PA House of Representatives is on an official friendly visit to Japan, at the invitation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Japan. The Delegation met today with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Japan, Mr Bunmei Ibuki.

The Speaker of the BiH PA House of Representatives Dr. Denis Bećirović, who is the Head of the Delegation which consists of the Deputy Speaker, Dr Milorad Živković and the Chair of the HDZ Caucus, Mr Mato Franjičević, evaluated the relations between BiH and Japan as good and friendly, and pointed to the need for additional efforts to intensify economic co-operation and develop partner relations.

Dr. Bećirovic thanked Japan for the help it has offered Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially with regard to peace-building, infrastructure recovery and economic development.
He stated,“The citizens of BiH shall never forget that Japan is one of the biggest donors and investors in BiH, with projects spanning across various sectors. So far, Japan has invested approx. 500 million euros, which constitutes approx. 10% of the overall foreign aid to BiH.’’

The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Japan, Mr Bunmei Ibuki said that Japan strongly supports the territorial integrity and independence of BiH as having key importance for the stability of Europe on whole. The Speaker, Mr Ibuki agreed with the Speaker Bećirović that legislators should encourage strengthening of economic co-operation between Japan and BiH.

Speaker Bećirović said that BiH has a particular interest in investments by Japanese companies in BiH, not only for economic reasons but also because they contribute to the stabilization of the country as well as the region. Therefore, he welcomed the announced investments in BiH by a Nagoya-based manufacturer of auto spare parts, and expressed hope that it would be the first in a number of Japanese investments in our country. In addition, Dr. Becirovic pointed out possibilities for further investments and illustrated the economic potentials of BiH, especially in the areas of infrastructure, energy, agriculture, tourism, metal and wood industry.

During the meeting, the Speaker Denis Bećirović, highlighted the importance of signing the Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement, the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement. He believes that the signing of the aforementioned agreements would build a strong foundation on which to build economic co-operation between the two countries. (end)