Thewesternbalkans.
According to Serbian media, last two weeks Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić visited some construction places linked with significant infrastructure projects for his country.
During the visit to the EXPO construction site in Surčin, Vučić said that there has been significant progress in construction since his previous visit. He announced that the railway line from the EXPO exhibition site to the airport, and from the airport to the city centre, as well as the Novi Beograd railway station, will be completed by the New Year.
He added that heating plants and the electricity distribution system, as well as landscaping work have already been completed.
“We have to connect all of this directly to the Sava, and we have to work on that as well,” Vučić said.
Vučić stressed that Serbia must be the best possible host and said he was counting heavily on additional support from his Chinese partners.
He also stressed that the national stadium is progressing rapidly.
As part of his continued visit to southwestern Serbia, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić inspected the final works on the Zlatibor bypass and the construction of sports facilities.
Vučić announced that work on the tunnel under Kadinjača will begin on October 1, stressing that it is a project that has been awaited for decades and will be of great importance to the region.
“Then, it seems to me, we would connect the whole of western Serbia with good roads, attract additional investors, and once again strengthen and reinforce Zlatibor as the centre of the Zlatibor District,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of developing infrastructure in the Zlatibor area, saying that better transport connections could help attract new investors and further boost tourism.
He added that the state would continue to support infrastructure projects in this part of Serbia.
A total of 13 outdoor and indoor sports facilities are currently being built on Zlatibor, and the completion of the bypass and sports complex is expected in 2028.
The total value of the sports facilities is close to €40 million.
Regarding the Zlatibor bypass, the total length of this bypass is around 9.5 kilometres. The total value of this investment is 2.5 billion euros.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić also visited the construction site of the University Children’s Hospital “Tiršova 2” in Belgrade, saying that it will be the largest children’s hospital in Southeast Europe.
“This facility will be completed by Vidovdan next year, and that will be a major step forward,” Vučić said after touring the construction site of the University Children’s Hospital “Tiršova 2.”
“I believe that children here will receive the best possible care and treatment. We will have the best doctors and the most beautiful hospital in this part of Europe,” the Serbian president said.
“Prokuplje will also get a magnificent hospital. People will no longer have to travel to Niš and Leskovac. We are also renovating hospitals in Leskovac and Vranje, while Niš will get a new maternity hospital,” Vučić said, adding that there had not been this much construction since the Second World War.
“65,000 square meters for all the children of Serbia and the region—the largest children’s hospital in Southeast Europe,” Vučić said, adding that he was very pleased with the progress regarding medicines.
According to the contractors, 60 percent of the work in the first phase has been completed so far, and the phase could be finished by the end of October. The president recalled that the clinic was built between 1946 and 1963 and had gone 63 years without any major renovation.
The equipment for Tiršova 2 would cost between €30 million and €40 million.
Comments: Apparently, major infrastructure projects with social significance are a priority for Aleksandar Vučić, and this is no coincidence. Vital events are approaching for the Serbian state, and even more so for Vučić himself. After finishing his second presidential term, he will need to think not only about his personal survival but also about maintaining the levers of power he currently holds. For that, electoral support and huge financial resources are necessary. At the moment, it’s clear that he and the political force he represents are doing everything needed to have both.
