Photo: Screenshot of CCTV

The construction of the highway linking Banja Luka and Prijedor in Republika Srpska (RS), an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), officially started on Sunday. This is the first concession highway project in Europe implemented by a Chinese company. 

This is the largest investment project of Chinese enterprises in BiH so far and the first land transport infrastructure project in Europe to be built by Chinese investment in the form of concession, Chinese Ambassador to BiH, Ji Ping, said on the groundbreaking ceremony held on Saturday in Prijedor, CCTV reported on Sunday.

Ji noted that the start of this project means that economic cooperation between the two sides has taken a new step forward. 

RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic said that the highway is a very important project for RS and will effectively improve mobility in the region, increase the efficiency of transportation and create new opportunities for local development.

RS authorities signed an agreement with the Shandong Hi-Speed Group Co in 2018, which granted the concession for the construction of a 40.7 kilometers long highway, connecting cities of Banja Luka and Prijedor, with a total investment exceeding 300 million euros ($346.54 million), according to media reports. 

Global Times