KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has agreed to deliver a keynote address, via teleconferencing, at the three-day Sarajevo Halal Fair, beginning Sept 27.
“He agreed, when we met yesterday, to deliver the speech from Malaysia.
“Dr Mahathir was very keen to be there (in Sarajevo) but due to work, he agreed on a teleconference speech. He is basically our hero and in fact, a hero to Muslim countries and has always supported Bosnia and encouraged Bosnian businessmen to pursue opportunities with their Malaysian counterparts,” said Bosnia Bank International Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amer Bukvic.
Speaking at a press conference here today to announce the fair, he invited more Malaysian companies to set up business in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
More than 50 per cent of the Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 3.5 million population are Muslims and could be a huge market for the halal food industry.
“Besides halal food, we are looking for partners in the tourism, real estate and energy sectors, and we believe Malaysia has the expertise in these areas.
“We aim to become Europe’s halal hub and we need help from Malaysia,” Bukvic said.
In a related development, the Bosna Bank CEO met with the Federation of Malay Economic Bodies (Gabem) to seek their support for the halal fair.
Gabem Chairman Tan Sri Dr Rahim Tamby Chik said the federation was happy to assist in making the fair a success.
“The movement has more than 200 affiliates and we will spread the news (of the fair) to them. Those who are interested can go to the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina to obtain more information.
“We also expect to send our members there (in the future), and hope they would be provided with whatever they need to invest in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he added.
The Sarajevo Halal Fair, the first international halal industry event to be organised in Europe, is being jointly organised by Bosna Bank International, Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank Group Business Forum and supported by Malaysia’s Halal Industry Development Corporation. — BERNAMA