Building “

This highway is one of the projects involved in the economic normalisation agreement signed 4 September in Washington between Kosovo and Serbia.

“We have introduced the American side feasibility plan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (BERZH), with the help of the American side, we have applied for financing”, Abrashi says.

While we have electoral process, financing will be approved. We set out in the spring because there should be new international financial agreements to be passed into the assembly to close this agreement so that the highway construction procedures can begin sometime in the middle of this year”, he adds.

This highway, on Kosovo's territory, is the continuation of the “highway, Rugova”, which has ended up in Bessi, the village that is located around Pristina magistrates Podujevo.

There are another 15 miles [27 km] that will be built up to Merdare, meanwhile, the cost of construction, according to the current minister, Abrashi is roughly over 200m euros.

Visibility for Belgrade-Pristina Railways
As for the next project coming out of Washington's deal, the Belgrade-Pristina railway infrastructure construction site with a deep sea port in the Adriatic, Abrashi says that after the project is drafted, it will apply for financing in international financial mechanisms.

“Railways we have requested from the US Financial Development Corporation (DFC) to officially begin identifying teams that will do the feasibility study for railway from Merdar to Durres. To help this process, we have signed agreements with the Government of Albania, where both sides pledge to work together in drafting the feasibility of this” project, he says.

This route runs through Kosovo, from Vremica to the border with Albania and to Merdare on the border with Serbia, with a total length of 128km and provides for the country's access to the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea, improving ties with other Balkan countries and European Transport Corridors IV and X.

The highway project in the part of Kosovo, from Morina to Pristina, has been completed and released in circulation.
Construction of a railway line from Pristina to the Adriatic port, from incumbent Minister Abrashi, is estimated to be an important project, as it enhances geostrategic position and Kosovo becomes a transit country for the Balkans and Central Europe.

To facilitate the implementation of these agreements, incumbent Minister Abrashi announced that the US Financial Development Corporation will soon have his official in Kosovo.

According to him, through this office it will give greater access to Kosovo businesses to present their projects and plans.

“Business will be able to freeze their capital in the US, and this capital increase will be guaranteed by the Government of Kosovo and the DFC”, Abrashi says.

The DFC is the American Development Bank, which co-operates with the private sector by funding solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world.

The DFC invests in sectors including energy, health care, critical infrastructure and technology. The DFC also provides financing for small businesses and women entrepreneurs, with the aim of creating jobs in emerging markets.

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