BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2019) The inclusion of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in the TurkStream gas pipeline project will be discussed at the upcoming St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Milorad Dodik, who currently heads the tripartite presidency governing BiH, said on Wednesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Dodik held a meeting with Russian Ambassador to BiH Pyotr Ivantsov in Istocno Sarajevo. According to Dodik, construction of a gas pipeline through the Republika Srpska will be one of the topics of negotiations with Russia during his visit to SPIEF in early June.
"Russia is heading significant economic activity in the Republika Srpska and we would like to expand on this. The key issue that I will be addressing in the future is the construction of the gas pipeline that branches to the TurkStream project. I think it would be beneficial if Sarajevo and the BiH Federation discussed this project so that the entire BiH could be supplied with gas," Dodik told the Radio Television of Republika Srpska broadcaster.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly of Republic of Srpska speaker Nedeljko Cubriloviс expressed hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet with Dodik during SPIEF.
The TurkStream twin-pipeline will have a maximum capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters (1.1 trillion cubic feet) a year. The first leg will deliver Russian gas under the Black Sea to Turkey for local consumption by January 1, 2020. The second leg is expected to carry gas to Southern and Central Europe, but its route has not been determined yet.
The governance of BiH is exercised by the presidency formed by three members representing the country's Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian populations. The state is headed by one of the presidency's members on a rotation basis. Since October, BiH has been led by Dodik, the leader of Bosnian Serbs.
SPIEF, held annually in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg, is a major global platform for communication between business representatives and the discussion of crucial economic issues. This year it will be held from June 6-8.
