"Serbia wants Montenegrin port"

Infrastructure Minister Milutin Mrkonjić says that Serbian companies will certainly take part in the repeated tender to buy Montenegro's Port of Bar.

Izvor: B92

Friday, 02.04.2010.

16:02

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Infrastructure Minister Milutin Mrkonjic says that Serbian companies will certainly take part in the repeated tender to buy Montenegro's Port of Bar. "I still believe that would be good for Serb companies, and I am convinced that we will find some format in the new tender, we'll see in what way," Mrkonjic was quoted as saying. "Serbia wants Montenegrin port" He added that it was expected that the original tender would fail – no company or individual took part – and said that Montenegro was "hasty" in calling it. In Serbia, media reported last month that although Serbia had set up the BB Kargo company in order to buy the port, and had bought tender documents, an analysis into the justification of such a large investment was still ongoing. The Serbian government set aside RSD 500mn as its minority stake in the company. Mrkonjic said earlier that Serbia's interest in the process of privatization of a portion of the Port of Bar lay in gaining access to the Adriatic Sea. He also stated that Serbia was still a privileged buyer, concerning the future sale of the Montenegrin port. The minister said he saw Serbia's political interest in the deal. "Serbia has a political interest in having a sea access, but I'm convinced that Serbia's economic interest is at the heart of this idea," he was quoted. Currently, Serbian companies use ports of Constanza, Rijeka and Thessaloniki in neighboring countries for their import and export business, with only seven to eight percent of Serbia's trade going through Bar. Some experts have voiced their opinion that the motives to buy a part of the port were political, since the port is "too expensive and has a surplus in the workforce". Works on the port's functionality, and a reconstruction of the Belgrade-Bar railroad, the experts said, "cannot cost only EUR 350mn" – the figure given by Mrkonjic. They say that the railroad reconstruction alone, that would allow trains to travel at 90 kmph, would cost "at least EUR 2bn".

"Serbia wants Montenegrin port"

He added that it was expected that the original tender would fail – no company or individual took part – and said that Montenegro was "hasty" in calling it.

In Serbia, media reported last month that although Serbia had set up the BB Kargo company in order to buy the port, and had bought tender documents, an analysis into the justification of such a large investment was still ongoing.

The Serbian government set aside RSD 500mn as its minority stake in the company.

Mrkonjić said earlier that Serbia's interest in the process of privatization of a portion of the Port of Bar lay in gaining access to the Adriatic Sea.

He also stated that Serbia was still a privileged buyer, concerning the future sale of the Montenegrin port.

The minister said he saw Serbia's political interest in the deal.

"Serbia has a political interest in having a sea access, but I'm convinced that Serbia's economic interest is at the heart of this idea," he was quoted.

Currently, Serbian companies use ports of Constanza, Rijeka and Thessaloniki in neighboring countries for their import and export business, with only seven to eight percent of Serbia's trade going through Bar.

Some experts have voiced their opinion that the motives to buy a part of the port were political, since the port is "too expensive and has a surplus in the workforce".

Works on the port's functionality, and a reconstruction of the Belgrade-Bar railroad, the experts said, "cannot cost only EUR 350mn" – the figure given by Mrkonjić.

They say that the railroad reconstruction alone, that would allow trains to travel at 90 kmph, would cost "at least EUR 2bn".

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