Romania has ‘tremendous investment opportunities’

The works of the forum ‘Gulf Cooperation Council-Bucharest Romania: Business Opportunities in Central and South-Eastern Europe’ began Tuesday in the capital.

The event brings together officials and representatives of business communities of the Gulf countries and South-Eastern Europe and aims to identify new opportunities for cooperation between the two regions.

President Traian Băsescu also took part in the opening of the works.

The president of Romania said at the opening of the forum, that this is the most important economic event of 2011, which occured as a result of sustained political and diplomatic efforts and as an effect of the increasing trust between Romania and the countries of the Gulf Council, Oana Bâlă, editor at the Radio România Actualităţi, reported.

The head of state also spoke about the period of crisis which was experienced by our country and noted that the Romanians have learned that an economic growth based on consumption is not healthy.

‘In Romania there are tremendous opportunities for investments’, President Traian Băsescu said, adding that the business environment is far from being hostile, as it is a competitive one, which only needs to be adjusted in the bureaucracy area.

Also the head of state stressed that our country guarantees foreign investment and has a solid banking system, which did not succumb to the crisis.

We must ‘cultivate the land’

President Traian Băsescu argued that the warnings about the food crisis should not be ignored, as Romania can be a regional engine in orde to diminish the effects of a such future presumed crisis, if the agricultural potential is exploited, Agerpres trasmitted.

‘We may look with concern at what is happening now, during these weeks, during these months, on the world food market. We must not neglect, as we have neglected all politicians, bankers or businessmen, the warnings regarding the global food crisis.’

‘Unlike the Gulf States, where I saw how much effort is invested to have a green tree, here the green is by nature, from God, we must have the intelligence, the ability to exploit the advantages that Romania has from this point of view’, Băsescu said.

Traian Băsescu highlighted that Romania ranks second in the EU, after France, in the number of hectares of green land.

‘I recommend you the helicopter’ for visiting Romania

President Traian Băsescu recommended the ones who really want to see Romania to travel by helicopter.

‘If you ever really want to see Romania, do not use the roads, I recommend a helicopter. I must say that I am a man who traveled the country on the road a lot, but I never discovered the way I discovered Romania by helicopter. Since I am the president, I often travel by helicopter’, Băsescu said.

President Traian Băsescu said that Romania is a country with great potential in tourism, but that it has an outdated infrastructure which has to be upgraded.

Translated by: Iulia Florescu
MA student, Bucharest University