The agreement will contribute to the speed and efficiency of the construction of the highway to BiH, explained the Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Zorana Mihajlovic. She recalled that the start of the work in October was marked in the presence of the presidents of Serbia and Turkey, Aleksandar Vucic and Tajip Erdogan, as well as representatives of BiH.
Mihajlovic stated that the works on the Sremska Raca – Kuzmin section are in accordance with the agreed plan and dynamics.
“This agreement will allow us to continue the works and issue a building permit for the construction of the entire bridge over the Sava River”, she said.
She added that there would be one border crossing on the bridge over the Sava River, and that this would enable faster flow of people and goods, urging the BiH authorities to speed up work on establishing a second border crossing, in order to open the bridge for traffic on the Drina river between Ljubovija for and Bratunac.
“Serbia has built that bridge and it remains for BiH, or the Indirect Taxation Authority, to finish its part of the work so that we have a border crossing”, Zorana said for B92.
Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Transport of BiH, Sasa Dalipagic, specified that the agreement signed refers to the construction of two sections of the highway, one is Tuzla – Brcko – Bijeljina – the border with Serbia and the other Sarajevo – Pale – Visegrad – the border with Serbia and further to Belgrade.
“The agreement also envisages the construction of a bridge over the Sava, which Serbia will build, as well as the issue of border crossings. Within a month, we will form a joint operational body for the more efficient realization of the project”, Dalipagic said.
BiH Ambassador in Serbia, Aida Smajic, said that major infrastructure projects show a clear commitment from the two countries on their path to the European Union.
“This highway will further connect our two countries and citizens. It is also an indicator that our bilateral relations are on the ascending path, and that European integration is our strategic goal, and that by further connecting the region we will be ready to become full members of the EU.”, Aida stated.
