The Ministry of Transport and Telecomumunication in the Kosovo interim government and the Bechtel company reached an agreement on the construction of the Morina-Merdare highway, the Pristina media reported Monday, announcing that the contract will be signed on Thursday.

The highway construction will be divided into several segments and the total value of the project is around EUR 700 million.

The ministry spokesman Dzevdet Pozari told the media that the talks are underway and that nothing has yet been reached. As soon as we clarify all the points of the agreement with the company, we will announce our decision, Pozari said.

The Kosovo interim government adopted the proposal of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the highway construction in January 2010, which is when they started the negotiations with the Bechtel-Enka company, which offered to build a 103 km-long highway, for EUR 7.5 to 8 per kilometer.