(ANSA) - BELGRADE - Confindustria Serbia celebrated its fifth anniversary with the annual general meeting of members held on Tuesday evening in Belgrade , attended by president Erich Cossutta, deputy-president responsible for internationalization, Licia Mattioli, and the Italian Ambassador to Serbia Giuseppe Manzo.

Drawing up the balance sheet of this first period of activity in Serbia, Cossutta underlined the decisive role of Confindustria in strengthening and developing bilateral relations and economic cooperation between Italy and Serbia.

Italy, he underlined, is one of Serbia's main trading partners both in terms of exports and imports, with a trade that in 2016 amounted to 3.7bn euros, a value which is expected to reach 4bn by the end of this year.

Italian exports to Serbia grew by 7.7% in the first seven months of 2017. Over 600 Italian companies operate in Serbia, employing more than 20,000 people, about half of them in the northern region of Vojvodina alone. In Serbia, the president added, Confindustria is much interested in involving entrepreneurial activities run by young people, who represent the future for any country. According to Ambassador Manzo, Confindustria Serbia is an essential part of the system promoting Italy in Serbia, along with other important partners such as the ICE (Italian Trade Agency), the Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Cultural Institute. During the event, prizes were awarded to some successful local companies and institutions. (ANSA).