The Ministers of Transport of Montenegro and Serbia, Filip Radulović and Goran Vesić, opened a joint border railway station in Bijelo Polje.
Radulović said that the opening of the joint station will shorten the waiting time and the necessary procedures at the border crossing between Montenegro and Serbia and enable the smooth flow of people and goods, as well as increase the level of use of transport means.
"Through the simultaneous investment in the railway infrastructure and better connection between the south and the north of Montenegro, the implementation of the project creates preconditions for the quality development of the entire economy, because simplified procedures at border crossings lead to a reduction in travel time, and therefore to the attraction of goods flows and their direction to Port Bar", said Radulović.
According to him, by working together on such projects, they contribute to the mutual development and connectivity of economies and better connectivity with EU countries.
Vesić, who is the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of Serbia, said that integrated border crossings are a common priority.
"The rapid connection between people will be improved through the implementation of several joint projects in the field of infrastructure, and by opening the joint railway station in Bijelo Polje, we have continued our cooperation with Montenegro, which we will further improve in the future," said Vesić.
The Ministry announced that this project belongs to the broader context of regional cooperation within the Berlin Process, that is, the Transport Community of Southeast Europe and the Action Plan.
The Director of the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community, Matej Zakonjšek, said that inadequate transport networks and lack of coordination seriously limit the connection of citizens in the region with the European Union.
"Resolving these issues requires investment in infrastructure, as well as better cooperation between neighbors. The station in Bijelo Polje has already become an excellent example for the entire region. Competent authorities will cooperate under one roof and the train will no longer have to stop twice as before," said Zakonjšek.
The joint railway station project was financed by the European Union.
The Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Montenegro, Riccardo Seri, said that the reconstructed facility will become a modern railway infrastructure in one place for cheaper, faster and simpler border crossings.
"The joint border crossing in Bijelo Polje belongs to the TEN-T Core Route 4 railway interconnection and will not only improve the ties between the two countries and their peoples, but also boost economic activities and trade across the border," Seri said.
After the opening of the joint railway station, Radulović and Vesić had a bilateral meeting where they discussed the infrastructural connection between Montenegro and Serbia.
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