Kosovo today inaugurated its new motorway, “Arben Xhaferi” which connects Pristina to Skopje. The entire state leadership of Kosovo, the Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, the Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi as well as the Montenegrin Prime Minister Dushko Markovic took part in the ceremony.
The 65.5 km long motorway boasts the highest and longest bridge in the Balkans, which stretches for 6 km long over the Kachanik Gorge.
Pal Lekaj, the Kosovo Minister of Infrastructure and Transport emphasized that the Arben Xhaferi Motorway will enable a faster connection between Prishtina and North Macedonia, as well as connect Kosovo with Pan-European Corridor 10. Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj expressed the will to attend the inauguration of the remaining part of the motorway, from the border crossing Blace to Skopje.
The Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in his address today pointed out that putting the motorway to use gives even greater motive for work.
-The Arben Xhaferi Motorway is also a motive for us to speed up the procedure. Soon we will publish a call for tenders for the 14 kilometre section from the Blace border crossing to Skopje – said Prime minister Zoran Zaev.
The Government plans to start the construction of the section of the motorway on Macedonian territory by the end of 2019, and the entire project to be completed by the end of 2023.
The Arben Xhaferi Motorway will allow travel from Skopje to Prishtina in 45 minutes.
In Kosovo, the project was carried out by the US-Turkish consortium “Bechtel-Enka”. The construction works started in July 2014.
