The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia Oleg Butković met in Zagreb with the Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina Edin Fort.
They discussed projects in the area of railway and road infrastructure and traffic itself, as well as the restoration of the waterway of the Sava River, the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure announced.
As for the railway traffic between the two countries, they discussed the restoration of the Una railway and the establishment of a passenger railway between Sarajevo and Zagreb, reports Nacional.hr.
The meeting also discussed road infrastructure projects, such as the reconstruction of the Brčko – Gunja bridge and the construction of the new Brčko – Gunja bridge, then the Adriatic-Ionian highway on the section through Bosnia and Herzegovina (Počitelj – Neum – Trebinje – the border with Montenegro), and the construction of the expressway Jajce – Bihać – Velika Kladuša – the border with Croatia, and the agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Government of the Republic of Croatia on the reconstruction of the Novi bridge City (BiH) – Court (Croatia).
Butković pointed out that Croatia and BiH are friendly and neighboring countries. This implies, but also obligates, he said, to constantly nurture close good-neighborly and partnership relations.
“The last time we met was in 2023, when we opened a number of important topics related to the improvement of bilateral cooperation, especially in the area of bridge construction and reconstruction, traffic connections and other joint infrastructure projects. The Republic of Croatia is a strong advocate of the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in this process we remain a reliable and solid partner,” stressed Butković.
Speaking of railway infrastructure and traffic, special attention was paid to the restoration of the Una railway, and Butković pointed out that Croatia is in a strong investment cycle in railway infrastructure, within which around six billion euros will be invested in the next ten years.
“We are ready to provide full support to this project, although we are aware that there are a number of technical and other challenges that need to be solved together,” said Butković.
“When it comes to the Una Railway, road traffic is often given priority over rail traffic in political discussions, but I personally believe that such an approach needs to be changed. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a railway network that needs to be revitalized, and the Una Railway is certainly part of that process,” Forto pointed out, adding that in the context of European transport corridors, highways are often talked about exclusively, although there is also a railway corridor that runs parallel to Corridor 5c and has significant potential.
“We have launched an expert study that will give us clear guidelines on what needs to be done on the Una railway, as well as an estimate of the costs of such a project. It is extremely important for us to hear that this project has perspective and support from the Croatian side,” Forto concluded.
