Vucic saves the first miles of the “Auttostrada of Peace”, Nis-Durra

Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic, inaugurated the first miles of the Peace Highway expected to pass from Nis to Merdara, Pristina, Tirana and Durres.

“I am proud that this highway will connect us to Albanians”, he said, stressing that trade between Serbia and Albania has increased by 35 percent in recent years.

Vucic added that this road axis, which he saw as the backbone of the Western Balkans, will be one of the most busy highways in the next 20 years. The European Union's ambassador to Belgrade was in the same opinion.

“This road will connect Serbia's south to the Western Balkans network and enable free flow of people, goods and capital, from Nis through Pristina to Tirana and beyond,”, he stressed.

As he pointed out, the path should be the “path of peace, stability and reconciliation, and the name Peace Highway”.

The 5.5km section we opened today is the first segment of a much larger project to connect Nis and other cities in this part of Serbia with the Adriatic Sea through Durres”,

The value of the entire project is expected to be around 650m euros. The cost of the 33km Nis-Plocnik section, estimated at 255m euros, is financed with a grant from the European Union (BE) worth over 40m euros.

The contract for this first part of the highway was signed in September 2021 during European Commission President Ursula von der Leyeen's visit.

Over 180m euros have been provided with favourable loans from the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while the rest will be from the Serbian government's budget.

The “Autostride of Peace” is one of the main projects under the EU Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.

“Auttastrada of Peace” was also part of the agreement between Serbia and Kosovo signed in the white house in 2020 and for the construction of which, along with the EU, you will assist and the US, the section linking the border point between Kosovo and Serbia, Merdare up to the primatine, with a total of 27km by the Government of Kosovo, has a cost of about 240m euros.

Great news! With the inauguration of the first leg of the Nis-Merdare section of the Peace Highway, we connect people and business south of Serbia. This is a key 30 billion-euro Economic and Investment Plan project for the Western Balkans. The EU is investing and more will invest” wrote in a Twitter post Commissioner Varhely.