Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina Edin Forto and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandra Sofronijević held a meeting in Sarajevo today dedicated to improving the infrastructure connectivity between the two countries. The main topic of the discussion was the development of modern transport corridors that will contribute to better connectivity of the region and its inclusion in European infrastructure flows.
“If we are thinking about a better future for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region, we must think about improving infrastructure, connecting people, cities and countries, not only within the region, but also with the European modern transport infrastructure,” Forto emphasized after the meeting.
One of the key projects discussed is the revitalization of the railway corridor connecting Doboj, Tuzla and Zvornik with Loznica, Šabac and Ruma in Serbia. As Forto said, this is a European corridor that is currently neglected, and both sides see an opportunity to nominate it for financing from international financial institutions.
In addition, they discussed accelerating preparations for the construction of the Sarajevo-Belgrade highway via Tuzla, Brčko and Bijeljina, as well as the expressway connecting Sarajevo with Belgrade via Pale, eastern Bosnia and Višegrad.
Forto added that other important topics were also discussed at the meeting – the digitalization of transport permits, the improvement of the Sava River waterway, demining and reconstruction of waterways, and the renovation of existing border bridges.
“A large number of open issues give us the opportunity to make a serious step forward together,” emphasized Forto.
Forto and Minister Sofronijević stated that an operational meeting has been agreed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the coming months, which, in addition to state-level representatives, will also include entity governments, local communities and the Brčko District, and the goal is to include all relevant stakeholders in order to accelerate the implementation of projects.
“This was an initial meeting to continue the talks that began several years ago. The projects we are talking about are capital, of great importance, but also extremely expensive. In order for any project to be successful and to be able to be implemented, it requires the existence of planning and technical documentation, and one of the key issues is securing sources of financing, or financial resources,” said Sofronijević.
Photo: BN
