On 29 July 2023, Lopare held a Business Forum to present this municipality’s good experiences in cooperating with the diaspora and to announce new investments in the homeland by people from the diaspora.

The head of Lopare, Rado Savić, says that this municipality has 20 business projects implemented by the diaspora, three business ideas have already been realized this year, and new investments were discussed at the Business Forum.

‘Our goal is to have 50 companies of our people from the diaspora in Lopare in the next five years’, Savić told reporters and assessed that Majevicans were great local patriots, people loving their homeland and investing in it.

One of the investors from the diaspora already operating in Lopare, Miloš Bošković, co-owner of the goat farm to start cheese production this year, told reporters that he was very satisfied with the support they received from the local authorities and the relations with the employees of the company, which continued to expand.

‘The country where we live has huge advantages, those economic as well as many others, and we are very close to all European centers which are a big market’, said Bošković.

The president of the Association of Serbian Businessmen in Switzerland, Stojan Stevanović, says that the investors who have already invested in Lopare are very satisfied and that the diaspora’s interest in investing in their homeland is increasing.

‘The cooperation with the local and republic authorities and the incentives currently offered are very good, so every year without an investor in the homeland is a lost year for us’, he said.

Investor Vlado Antić invested in the swimming pool complex in Lopare and says that he is satisfied with regard to the safety of investments from the diaspora, safety in Lopare and good and direct cooperation with the local community.

‘The diaspora is returning home, wishing to transfer knowledge, bring capital and make a breakthrough. It is up to us to support it, and the results will not fail’, notes the USAID program.

The Business Forum in Lopare is part of the multi-day event Diaspora Days, and the panel is organized by the municipality of Lopare and the Association of Majevicans in Switzerland, with the support of USAID.

Source and photo: SRNA