President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) Milos Bugarin stated on Wednesday that by the end of the year, the loss Serbia could suffer due to Pristina's embargo on Serbian goods would total USD 250 million, while the indirect damage lies in the fact that Serbian goods would be replaced by products of other countries in the region.

In a statement for reporters issued following Tanjug's roundtable discussion on the new wave of the global economic crisis, Bugarin said that regional countries are now competing for a stake in the market in the southern Serbian province, and that companies from Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania all want to find a place for themselves on the Kosovo-Metohija market.

When asked about the steps Serbia can take to prevent this, Bugarin stated that negotiations need to be intensified and that an adequate solution should be found as soon as possible which would enable uninterrupted two-way transport of goods and passengers, from Serbia to Kosovo-Metohija and vice versa.

Balkan countries trying to penetrate Kosovo market

The Belgrade-Pristina dispute involving customs stamps blocking Serbian goods to enter Kosovo has been taken advantage of by certain countries in an attempt to promote their products in Kosovo.

Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Croatia and other countries from the region are trying to "fill in" the vacant space because Kosovo has to import many products, which have been so far imported from Serbia, Tanjug news agency reported.

These products include cereals, flour, sugar and other foodstuffs, beverages, cement and other construction materials.

Since Kosovo authorities blocked Serbian goods to be imported at administrative border crossings, Bulgaria was the first country trying to get in.

Last week, the province had been visited by hundreds of entrepreneurs from the country to discuss ways to bolster trade exchange with Kosovo.

Pristina authorities have expressed preparedness to lift administrative and customs barriers for food import from Bulgaria.

Macedonia has already established an economic collaboration with Kosovo standing at $320 million last year.

Trade exchange with Croatia is expected to be increased as well. Kosovo ambassador to Zagreb Valdet Sadiku has called on Croatian firms to enter the Kosovo market.

120 Croatian firms have been opened in Kosovo and trade exchange has reached $58 million.

The ongoing row between Belgrade and Pristina is anticipated to be used by other countries in the region, including Albania and Turkey.