Alabbar: $3.5 billion will be invested in Belgrade Waterfront, but it's not all about money

Photo: Tanjug/Dragan Kujundzic

Eagle Hills CEO Mohamed Alabbar says that a total of around 3.5 billion dollars will be invested in Belgrade Waterfront. As he pointed out, money itself is not the most imortant thing, since all the benefits that Belgrade and Serbia will reap from that project are far more important.

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This was Alabbar's reply when journalists asked how much money has arrived so far from Eagle Hills and whether he is satisfied with the dynamic of construction, since there have been delays.

"This not just about money here, whether 300 million is set aside for investments or 200 million, which is how much has been invested in this shopping center. It's not only about jobs created to build the shopping center, but also how many jobs will remain later," said Alabbar.

Alabbar added that it this is about 1,000 new jobs, but also about all the benefits that the government and the City of Belgrade will have from collecting taxes and other revenues. That is very important for the country that is being built, Alabbar stressed and added that no one can buy all those benefits.

"About 3.5 billion dollars will be invested here. It's true that money drives everything, but we have invested our reputation here as well in order for this project to turn out as it should," Alabbar remarked.

He added that he operates in 14 countries around the world and knows that hope is far more important. Responding to that, Serbian President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic added:

"Alabbar said 300 plus 200 million, it's clear to you how much has been invested so far, and there is still a lot to be invested, Alabbar gave huge amounts, also of his personal money in the moments of crisis and I am grateful to him for that. Because, he didn't want this Belgrade construction site to stop for a single moment."

Vucic said that he is talking about hundreds of millions of dollars and that when they first met with Alabbar, they agreed to create something that will be the most beautiful in this part of Europe.

"It seems to me that we've succeeded and we will succeed and that is my answer to your question, and I will especially always defend public-private partnerships and private property, because private property is what pushes the country forward and makes it successful. I am proud of that, especially when you have investors like this, someone who is well known around the world," Vucic added.

(Telegraf Biznis)