The international conference "Brown Forum: US and Southeast European Trade and Investment" continued in the southern Adriatic city of Dubrovnik on Wednesday with a debate on realising business opportunities through free enterprise.
The first day of the conference, at which opening remarks were given by Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and President Ivo Josipovic, was marked by numerous interesting discussions on what can be done for Croatia and Southeast Europe to become more competitive on the global market.
U.S. Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade Michelle O'Neill said on Wednesday U.S. objectives had not significantly changed in relation to those when the then Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown arrived in Croatia in 1996, at the helm of a trade mission, which tragically ended with the plane carrying Brown crashing while attempting to Land at the Dubrovnik airport.
She reiterated this region had a huge potential and that the U.S. wanted to help the region realise this potential, adding that both political and economic progress had been made over the past 15 years.
A talk was also delivered by the management board president of Atlantic Grupa, Emil Tedeschi.
The conference in Dubrovnik, organised in tribute to US Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, who was heading a US trade mission in the region 15 years ago when their plane crashed near Dubrovnik killing all people aboard, will be officially closed by Croatian Deputy Prime Minister for Investments Domagoj Milosevic and U.S. Ambassador to Croatia James Foley.
