DODIK: HERZEGOVINA EMERGING AS MAJOR DEVELOPMENT SITE

TREBINJE, JUNE 18 /SRNA/ – Herzegovina will become one of the largest and most ambitious development and construction areas in the future, President Milorad Dodik said today while attending the opening of the international conference Building the Region in Trebinje.

"It is very important that representatives from across the region are here, including Montenegro and Serbia, as well as leading business leaders, companies and financial institutions," Dodik said, adding that events such as this provide an excellent opportunity to present Trebinje's development plans.

Dodik reiterated that Republika Srpska is preparing for a major, demanding and challenging investment cycle worth more than three billion euros, describing it as one of the largest investment programs since its establishment.

"We want to provide answers to many of the challenges facing local communities, both in terms of infrastructure and attracting foreign investors. There is also a clear effort to achieve a level of investment in the energy sector that is undoubtedly among the highest in the region", Dodik said.

He noted that Trebinje continues to strengthen its role as a trade fair and conference destination and expressed confidence that its importance would grow further in the coming years through investments aimed at improving transport links and visitor infrastructure.

Dodik pointed to several strategic projects, including the Adriatic-Ionian Highway, the planned airport project, which, he stressed, has never been abandoned and express roads connecting Trebinje with Foča and onward to Serbia, as well as routes toward Montenegro and Dubrovnik.

"These are certainly challenges we must keep in mind because they have become part of our spatial and operational development plans. In line with available resources, implementation dynamics, and the issues that need to be resolved, we will carry them through," Dodik said.