The highway that will connect Belgrade and Sarajevo via Visegrad and will be built via Tuzla and Bijeljina will be the heart of the Balkans, said the Serbian member and chairman of the Presidency of BiH, Milorad Dodik.
“If you go from the north through Ljubljana to Skopje, you can also go through BiH, you will significantly shorten communications, provide alternatives to many. You have seen in the example of Doboj and Banja Luka, how much it means for both areas, but also all those who use that communication,” stated Dodik.
He pointed out that the highway goes from East Sarajevo to Visegrad, and connects with the highway in Serbia.
On the other hand, it goes through Bijeljina, and in the end it will connect Banja Luka to that road network.
It is important, he said, to have a stable partner in terms of securing finances.
“At this moment, there will be no elaboration related to specific finances, because it will be necessary to make some kind of project, but we are moving towards the realization that companies can be hired to design. We have already made an exception on the section of the road from Raca to Bijeljina and regulated property-legal relations,” Dodik told Radio Television of Republika Srpska.
He pointed out that we have a promise from the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, that he will help with 100 million euros on that section, and that the works from the bridge on Raca towards Bijeljina, and even towards Brcko, will start very soon.
He mentioned the great importance that Turkey will stand behind the entire project of the mentioned highway, which will connect Belgrade and Sarajevo.
Turkey agreed to lend and provide money and for the main contractors to be turkish companies.
“It is a common practice, when you have such interstate arrangements. This today’s agreement is in that function to provide synergy between companies from Turkey and Republika Srpska and FBiH. Turkey is present in our region both historically, and lately also economically, far more in Serbia than in BiH. Real investments are always welcome,” said Dodik, who met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Presidency members Sefik Dzaferovic and Zeljko Komsic in Ankara yesterday, Dnevnik reports.
