Skopje, 17 May 2023 (MIA) - Companies from the ICT industry, mining, environmental protection, production and sale of medical equipment, and construction that are interested in establishing a business cooperation and exchange of experience are present at the Macedonian-Finnish business forum organized by the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia in Skopje on Wednesday.

"There is no better act than commemorating 30 years since establishing diplomatic relations between North Macedonia and Finland except through a business forum. The high level of mutual trust and understanding, with no open questions or bilateral issues, is an excellent basis for promoting and deepening the economic cooperation between the two countries by joining Macedonian and Finnish companies," Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi said at the beginning of the business forum.

Bytyqi pointed out at Wednesday's forum that Finnish companies will be briefed on the Government's economic policies for encouraging and supporting foreign investments in North Macedonia, which last year archived a historic result of EUR 753 million.

"Realization of investments in our country can intensify economic ties and create mutually beneficial partnerships between business entities. Our focus is to create new jobs through new foreign investments, which will secure higher salaries for our citizens. We also support the economy's innovation and competitiveness, taking care to increase cooperation between domestic and foreign companies," said Bytyqi.

The business forum provides an opportunity to share values though dialogue, which are of particular importance for sustainable growth and development of economies in the 21st century, and have the potential to unite the Macedonian and Finnish economies.

Outgoing Finnish Ambassador Kimmo Lähdevirta said that he hopes that the forum will be the first step towards a bigger and more intense cooperation between Macedonian and Finnish companies.

"Today's forum shows that there is more and more interest in Finland for investments in North Macedonia, which is exactly why there are Finnish companies from different sectors such as mining, energy, health and ICT," said Lähdevirta. ssh/nn/

Photo: Government of the Republic of North Macedonia