BiH and Serbia Sign Agreements: Infrastructure and Connectivity are Conditions for Faster Development

(Patria) - Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina Vojin Mitrović and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia Zorana Mihajlović today signed two agreements: the Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia on the construction of a joint border crossing Bratunac and the Agreement on the maintenance and reconstruction of road interstate bridges.

"The signing of these agreements is a very important moment for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska. Namely, the Bratoljub bridge was completed back in 2017, but we waited until December 2019 to harmonize the political views of the three peoples and overcome the inability of the then representatives of the Serb people in the Council of Ministers to secure additional funds for the construction of the Bratunac Border Crossing in the amount of 3.5 million KM, which the new convocation of the Council of Ministers did at its first session. The construction of the new Bratunac border crossing, which is a first-category crossing, will certainly relieve the Zvornik and Rača border crossings, but also further connect the two countries. This joint crossing will greatly speed up the movement of goods and passengers, to the satisfaction of all of us," said Minister Mitrović.

By signing the agreement on bridge maintenance, it was defined that BiH maintains five bridges, three on the Sava and two on the Uvac, while Serbia maintains six bridges on the Drina. Funds for bridge maintenance have been secured by the budget of the Council of Ministers of BiH for the next year and amount to 850,000 KM, meaning that for the next five years, Bosnia and Herzegovina will allocate 4.5 million KM.

"The increasing number of joint projects is good news for the citizens of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for the entire region, because infrastructure and connectivity are conditions for faster development. The new bridge over the Drina between Ljubovija and Bratunac will mean a lot to citizens and the economy, which is why it is important that the joint border crossing is operational as soon as possible. Also, the agreement we signed today allows us to start maintaining other interstate bridges, for which Serbia has already allocated 15 million euros in the next three years.

It is important that we connect as a region not only by highways but also by railway, as this will mean faster development, new investments, and a better life for citizens. By building the Belgrade-Sarajevo highway, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have embarked on this path, and I believe that the result of this connectivity will be a better future for all people living in these areas, regardless of which nation they belong to," said Minister Mihajlović.

After signing the agreements, Minister Mitrović and Minister Mihajlović visited the construction site together.