Erdogan's message from Bosnia: Highway Belgrade-Sarajevo will be the "road of peace" and will bring benefit and happiness to Balkans (VIDEO)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic talked yesterday in Sarajevo about a number of important issues for cooperation between the two countries, and one of the main topics was the construction of the Belgrade-Sarajevo-Belgrade highway, on which a letter of intent was signed.

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Izetbegovic told a joint press conference that the relevant ministers signed a letter of intent on the construction of that road. 

At a joint press conference with his host, BiH Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic, Erdogan said that Turkey attaches special importance to regional relations, especially relations between BiH and Serbia, and BiH and Croatia.

He pointed to the need to continue with the practice of applying triple mechanisms in relations between Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Turkey, BiH and Croatia.

He expressed great satisfaction with the progress and fulfillment of BiH's obligation on the European path and promised to support Sarajevo on activating the BiH membership plan in NATO.

Foto-ilustracija: Google Maps, pixabay.com

This letter of intent will be presented to the public, he announced, and some issues were solved regarding the models and dynamic construction of this road after the signing with Erdogan and the closest associates.

Izetbegovic said that the visibility studies are not very optimistic when it comes to the southern section of the highway, so, they will most likely go with the "quick road" variant.

Foto: A. Nalbantjan, Profimedia/Alamy

He said that the public bid will take place, which will determine the highway builders.

Erdogan recalled that the construction of the Belgrade-Sarajevo-Belgrade highway includes the triple mechanism of Serbs, BiH and Turkey, and this construction, he said, will have special significance and will represent a real "peace road".

The head of the Turkish state said that the aggravating circumstances for the construction of the road are infrastructure and geographical position and that the future road will have a large number of tunnels and bridges.

He noted that the areas in BiH, through which the highway route should pass, resemble the Black Sea region, where he was born, but, he added, this is more complex in BiH.

- When the project ends, the entire Balkans will benefit and enjoy in it. The project will pay off itself - Erdogan said.

Speaking about investments, the Turkish president said that the projected will have 3 billion euros and that the support of the EKSIM bank will be needed.

According to him, the direct investment will be between 15 and 20 percent, while the rest will be done over credit.

(Telegraf.co.uk / Tanjug)