The municipality of Lopare hosted the Diaspora Days, during which the Lopare Diaspora Business Forum was held. The gathering brought together prominent members of the diaspora, business leaders, and local community representatives with the goal of promoting the potential of Lopare and its citizens worldwide.
Rado Savić, the mayor of the Municipality of Lopare, expressed satisfaction with the turnout. “Our municipality has strong ties with the diaspora, and this event is an opportunity to strengthen them further. This is a chance for our citizens abroad to learn about business opportunities in Lopare, and vice versa. Each year there are more and more investors, and the whole region already knows that Lopare is one of the most successful stories of incorporating the diaspora into economic and social flows,” said Savić.
Armin Alijagić, a representative of the “Nasa perspektiva” association, emphasized the importance of the forum. “These gatherings allow us to express solidarity with our people abroad, and to consider ways in which we can improve their connection with their homeland. Therefore, everything that USAID does in collaboration with local communities keeps this topic in the public eye. We have stories, we have results, the diaspora is now more than a potential – what can be done, we now have something to show and share with others,” said Alijagić.
An investor from the diaspora, Stojan Stevanović, applauded the initiative of the Municipality of Lopare. “As an investor from the diaspora, I see numerous opportunities for collaboration between our people abroad and local entrepreneurs. Lopare has a lot to offer, and this forum is a step in the right direction,” Stevanović stated.
Vlado Antić, the president of the Association of Majevicans in Switzerland, outlined the forum’s expectations. “Our goal is to enable better connection of our diaspora with the motherland, and I expect this event to be an important step towards that goal. Every year we take a step forward, investor by investor, and we provide support to the city and the homeland from which we originated,” emphasized Antić.
This gathering was organized with the support of the USAID project “Diaspora Invest”, with the intention to strengthen the ties between Lopare and the diaspora, encourage investments and stimulate the development of the local economy. “The diaspora is coming home, wanting to transfer knowledge, bring capital and make a leap forward. It’s up to us to support this, and the results will not be missing,” the organizers said.
