The competent authorities in Pristina have expressed readiness to continue the construction work for the remaining part of the Prishtina - Merdare - Nis highway.
This highway is a continuation of the regional project Durres - Pristina - Nis. This highway in the territory of Kosovo is known as "Ibrahim Rugova" and until this stage the works have been completed until Besi, a village located on the highway Pristina - Podujeva. Meanwhile, there are about 26.8 kilometers unfinished until Merdare, bordering with Serbia.
This highway was initially a project linking Kosovo and Albania, known as the "Nation's Way". But, meanwhile, it was supported by the European Union, as a joint project of road and rail infrastructure for the Western Balkans. The Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure has already selected a project design consultancy company that has started this month and will last 14 months, according to a response from the Minister for Radio Free Europe."The consulting company has conducted a study of several alternatives to the upcoming corridor of the Besi - Merdare highway. These alternatives to this corridor were evaluated according to a mechanism consisting of technical, financial, social, environmental and safety criteria and based on the findings, the final report was prepared with the most favorable version, which was approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure ", reads the reply.
Even Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in the framework of this project, inaugurated 10 days ago the first segmentation of the Nis-Prishtina highway. The European Union project for the construction of a highway connecting Albania, Kosovo and Serbia to representatives is seen as one of the best opportunities to use for regional cooperation in the field of infrastructure and economy by business community.
The Chairman of the Board of the German Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, Fadil Hoxha told to Radio Free Europe that improvement of road infrastructure helps facilitate the circulation of Kosovo products abroad and vice versa.
"Infrastructure projects with the countries of the region, I can say, are the arteries of the economy. Once Kosovo has already signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and our products have to find a way in the European market, so it would be welcome to plug in Nis of the highway to export our products to Europe as well, "Hoxha said.
The European Union, in March 2015, after an inter-ministerial conference of the six Balkan countries, held in Pristina, has pledged to be willing to invest until to 1 billion euros for a joint road and rail infrastructure projects in the Western Balkans. /Oculus News