Prime Minister Edi Rama’s remarks at the press conference:
PM Edi Rama: I spoke yesterday, sot today it is your turn to ask questions and I am ready to provide you all the answers.
Last night you announced the launch of a 60-day information and explanatory campaign in the wake of the yesterday’s events. Why such an information campaign was not launched well ahead of the toll road ramp installation on the Nation’s Road and why it took what it happened a day ago in order to provide explanatory information.
PM Edi Rama: Yesterday I said that within no longer than 60 days, which means it can take place even earlier, we will complete the ongoing discussion launched weeks ago with the contracted firm with the regards to the system that is going to be applied for the road’s frequent users and figure out ways to address the local residents’ needs in economic terms. On the other hand, I have also said that in the meantime we will launch an intensive explanatory communication, not because we failed to do so earlier, but because the public opinion’s disinformation and manipulation, especially of the Kukes residents, has triumphed over the explanations we have already provided during the recent debates.
If I was to ask you – and not only you but all those who undertake the public information mission through the media – have you read the contract? Surely, the answer is “no”, we haven’t read the contract. The very simple fact about the contract, which has been written long ago, is that a special system will become operational for the road’s frequent users. But everything is being misinterpreted as if I’m backtracking. Backtracking is never an wicked action, if you have to do so, but there is simply a need to fight the disinformation that being orchestrated by Tirana firebrands and that unfortunately is being channelled through the Tirana’s media.
I am very sorry that in this process – since the contract has been signed two years ago, since the company has already kicked off work for about a year and has done a lot of work so far and I can inform you more about these – a tempest in a glass of water is brewed to pour then in the form of petrol to set common property and an investment on fire. It is again the common state budget the one to provide the due compensation. So, in face of this disinformation campaign, where either consciously or unconsciously all of you have a role to play, we could have done more to fight disinformation and at this stage we will try to do what is needed in order to properly inform the public and the local residents in particular.
Mr. Rama, you said that a communication process has been taking place to provide explanations on the ways how the payment will be made, but you have introduced the contract apparently also envisaging the compensation the state budget should provide should the investment is damaged due to protests and which the local residents obviously opposed it. Have you introduced the contract to the residents, since it was being prepared for two years now and have they been informed about what was going to take place?
PM Edi Rama: The contract doesn’t stipulate state budget compensation if a bunch of vandals gathers and set the investment on fire. There is no need for such a term to be included in the contract because this is stipulated in the law of the Republic of Albania. The government must protect public and private property, must protect both public and private investments. When such investments are under attack and set on fire by vandals, then of course whoever has carried out the investment will ask for the money to be compensated by the government. There is no need for this to be included in the contract. Contracts are written for civilized societies, whereas the law in general stipulates and envisages what happens in cases when people, individuals, or groups attack the property. The contract has been introduced for two years now. In the recent debates over the past few days, whenever I’ve been given the opportunity to speak also in the Parliament, I’ve clearly stated this. But, the saying “a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on” is again confirmed.
You just made a comment on the protestors as you did a day ago. In a video released by all media outlets in the country purportedly shows a Rapid Intervention Force officer attacking a civilian, who didn’t react at all. Do you have any comment on this policeman’s conduct, since you made one about the protestors?
PM Edi Rama: It only you the one to make such questions, because the answer is clear. First of all, it is known that there is a determined are for the protest to take place. Whoever violates and crosses the line he in fact violates the law. It means that whether you attack, or don’t attack, you actually are violating the law. Given the yesterday’s conditions, the police have done the best possible, by maintaining calm in face of a bunch of vandals, who will of course receive the punishment they deserve.
Mr. Prime Minister, at the yesterday’s press conference you said the protest was conceived in the capital, in Tirana. Whom do you refer to?
Is there a study defining the tax rate due to be applied? You have scheduled a meeting with the Mayor of Kukes. Will the meeting yield something new, in the sense, will the tariff be reduced, or after the installation of the road ramp and imposition of toll on the road everything is over and the citizens will be forced to pay again 5 euros for each direction?
PM Edi Rama: I said the contract clearly stipulates that within six months – something we will do far more quicker and we have already launched the process with the company – will be established a specific dedicated system for the regular and frequent users of the road. Local residents in the area are of course the frequent road users. Others are infrequent users of the road, meaning they travel along this road once, twice, or thrice a year. A specific system will be applied for local residents and the system will help all the regular and frequent users of the road and this means they can register and be provided an annual pass at a deducted toll charge. This is elementary.
With regards to the question over who are the instigators, they are right in the eyes of everyone. I wonder you haven’t seen them, or you don’t know yet who they are since everyone in Albania knows them.
Meanwhile, the company has so far invested 15.2 million euros in road traffic safety. You have broadcasted newsreels showing land and massive rockslides of boulders on the Nation’s Road, haven’t you? Three considerable landslides have taken place since the contract entered into force and since the company kicked off its work. A series of investments have been carried out to ensure instant stabilization of three damaged slopes. Investments have been made to reinforce the endangered bridges. Certain bridges were about to collapse. Investments in the tunnel have been already made. The tunnel maintenance operation cost over 0.5 million euro a year. On the other hand, for the first time in the road’s history, the highway wasn’t blocked even for a single minute by snow and no accidents have been reported due to the slippery and snow conditions, since the company has purchased 20 brand new Mercedes Benz snowploughs to ensure the road is always easily passable when snowing. Likewise, a study on the road protection and required investment has been conducted. The Nation’s Road has 37 dangerous accident hot spots, or 37 potential landslide and accident hot spots. Other investment worth of over 30 million euros are planned in these 37 hot spots, for construction of Kukes new bridge, because the road is incomplete, and seven new overpasses in the required places for local residents and communities residing along the road. The project includes the missing geological study that includes all protection operations, without taking into account the routine maintenance operations. The project alone cost 2.8 million euros. All these are serious but necessary financial measures to ensure the road’s continued normal functioning.
If we wouldn’t acted like this and wouldn’t impose the toll on road users as a contribution to the road itself, we would certainly govern undisturbed, but we would have encouraged further degradation of the road, making it completely unsafe to traffic and therefore making it unusable. Then a massive intervention would be needed, since the degradation there has been constant over all these years. I would like to remind you all that my predecessor has publicly stated and acknowledged: “We built the road, but we cannot maintain it.” Like never before, he has conceded the truth. He has launched the process to impose toll on the road, but the procedure has failed. The procedure was renewed in 2014 with the assistance of the IFC international experts and all studies on the toll rate have been conducted and the process has ultimately proved successful. The selected company has shown total commitment and seriousness to honour contract with the state. This is the simple truth. Of course, while in office acknowledges “we built the road, but we can’t maintain it” and when seeking to set the state on fire you say “this is a thievery tax,” then this is not part of the normal political debate and opposition. This is part of the disinformation and deliberate instigation and inciting people through handpicked individuals to do what they actually did.
I would provide answers to all questions, but we actually are in the condition when it would be better if you too provide a contribution to shed light on the truth. The truth, on one hand, is that the road stands no chance of being maintained without imposing a toll fee, since it is arithmetically impossible, and on the other hand, a specifically dedicated system for all frequent users of the road has been envisaged to be put in place. So, all local residents who will use the road more frequently will be provided with toll passes, valid for one month, six months and one year. This issue is still being discussed and the kind of toll pass is yet to be determined. However, the simple truth is that if you are a regular road user and not a toll pass holder, then you have to pay the five euro toll any time you travel through the road. The five euro payment includes the lek-denominated tariff due to the fact that a large number of road users are Kosovo citizens and they pay in euro. In order for the process to be easier so the border crossing point is not transformed into an exchange booth, but also to speed the crossing procedure, the toll has been denominated in euro. Albanian citizens will certainly pay in lek and all those who need to use the road frequently will be provided a specific toll pass. The company will also make available 120 thousand euros for the local government to help the needy residents. Let’s say that if certain people need to see a doctor, or patients who need to undergo dialysis and have to use the road at least thrice a week, of course we cannot ask them to pay the fee. Then the budget will provide direct compensation. All these issues will be tackled and will be clear to all within next 60 days.
Why these matters were not addressed earlier? Because the contract envisages that once the tolling system is in place, it will take six months to identify the frequent road users. This is the reason, because according to the international expertise six months are needed to properly identify the most frequent users.
Beyond the fact that you are convinced that the reason why residents took to protest was lack of information, misinformation, or disinformation…
PM Edi Rama: Not, this not the reason why they protested. They are not citizens. The civilized citizens do not join a protest armed with bottles of petrol. The civilized citizens don’t join protests armed with sticks. I’m talking about those residents and citizens, either in Kukes, in Kosovo, or in whole Albania, who consider the fee too high. I am talking about who set toll plaza on fire and attacked policemen, because they will give account before prosecutors and judges. They have nothing to do with me.
Beyond the issue how the citizens are labelled…
PM Edi Rama: It is not a labelling. Once again, whoever goes to protest armed with bottles of petrol does not deserve to be considered a civilized citizen, but he is a vandal.
Mr. Prime Minister, you consider citizens as such for seven years now, but I prefer to call them citizens.
PM Rama: I offer my heartfelt compassion for your preference.
What I wanted to ask was that beyond the fact that people took to protest – because you are convinced they did so since they are ill informed, or incited by Tirana’s politics – what if they demonstrate same reaction even after you inform them? What will happen then?
PM Edi Rama: First of all, the protest included people who were armed with bottles of petrol, armed with sticks, individuals who have joined the protest to commit violence, as well as other people who reject the toll fee on the road. The latter are citizens. Whereas the former are the vandals who committed grave crimes as stipulated by the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Albania. Whoever dares to raise hand against the law will receive deserved punishment. I believe the majority of people, the considerable group of people who oppose the toll fee, absolutely also reject the fire-setting. I am talking about these people and we owe an explanation to them. Kukes is not a group of arsonists, a bunch of vandals armed with sticks. The Kukes people and the public as a whole deserve continued explanations in face of a continued disinformation campaign, in face of continued aggression that is being amplified with the help of the media, which amplifies everything irresponsibly and without any professional ethics. Have any of you read the contract? No way.
The problem of unknowing the contract is related to what I said yesterday that we could have done more for the people. But this doesn’t mean that by doing more, we would have succeeded in stopping the firebrands in Tirana and the arsonists in Kukes from doing what they did. What happened was not committed by the Kukes people, but by a group of hundreds, who aimed to do what they did.
There is no chance to retreat for a very simple reason. I said yesterday that it would have been much easier for me if this process was not to be launched. The road would be destroyed bit by bit and many accidents would take place, whereas the road itself would be completely unusable within a five to ten years time span. Between comfort and desire to prolong the term in office without any embarrassment and making a decision, which is certainly not a easy decision, but one taken to guarantee the road, the choice is clear to me it has always been clear. Otherwise I would have also done what others did before me. I wouldn’t have launched any difficult reform. Of course, these reforms will yield the desired results step by step. If we are today able to launch a massive public investment program, this is a direct result of the fact that we have built solid foundations after taking office after the previous government left behind a hole of over $720 million in arrears.
Those who tell fairy tales, saying the government has 200 million euros in funds available for the roads maintenance, should now that the amount is national tax revenue. We have multiplied the road maintenance funding compared to the previous government. We have allocated some 3.2 billion lek in funds to cover the maintenance cost for Albania’s road infrastructure network. The amount consists of 12.7 million euros in state budget funding and 11.3 million euros provided by the World Bank and this is the maximum we can do. In the meantime, a whole investment program is in place. Important infrastructure investments will be made here in Tirana. Likewise, we will invest in construction of the road linking Delvina and Kardhiq to shorten distance for all holidaymakers in Saranda. Meanwhile, we will start construction of Arberi Road, the Milot-Balldren road segment as well as Thumana-Kashar highway. Yesterday I announced plans to introduce other toll roads. The next road to impose a toll fee on is the Kashar- Rrogozhine highway section that leads to the city of Vlora. It is a colossal investment volume when considering our opportunities.
So how we will be able to do what Albania’s infrastructure needs, unless we start to understand that we need to pay a contribution when using the roads? It is not something we’ve invented. This is applied all over the world. Germany is the only country that does not apply tolling system on its roads, but a debate is going on this issue today and that includes tolling system on every highway. The highways are all built on the German state budget money. I’m saying this because we randomly hear these tales suggesting that what is built on budget money should remain under the state-owned. What is the state budget? The budget is a taxpayer’s contribution and road users should contribute. Taxpayers who do not own a car should not pay for the roads. It is that simple.
It happened that I’ve read the contract and it stipulates that, as you just said, within six months the company should identify the most frequent users and then introduce the toll passes. In the meantime, you say the company will make 120 000 euros a year to the Municipality of Kukes, without knowing the number of those who need these services and on the other hand you say you will intervene within 60 days…
PM Rama: I am sorry to interrupt you, but, if I’m not wrong, we launched discussion on this issue with the company around a month ago, taking into account various examples, but taking into account the area’s social-economic state. Therefore, the contract stipulates, or better saying, those who have drafted the contract have envisaged a six-month period to identify the frequent users of the road. Meanwhile, the system we want to put in place – and I repeat that discussion on this issue was opened a month ago – will be valid for whoever uses the road frequently. Application of the five-euro toll will be non-negotiable for anyone else who uses the road rarely. This is indisputable. Other Kukes residents who use the road rarely, which may include residents from remote rural areas, won’t be asked to pay a full five-euro fee. A system based on special treatment for this group of people and frequent road users is being developed. This is something I’ve already explained in the Parliament too, but, unfortunately, lies are temporarily powerful.
Will the concessionary contract be amended? Do you fear that any possible dispute may go to arbitration?
PM Rama: No interventions will be made to the concessionary contract. The contract’s provisions – if you have read it and I would like to congratulate if you have done so – are very general. It doesn’t mention neither the 120 000-euro funding, nor the 6-month period and it doesn’t provide details, because it is up to the state authority and the company to find a common language and settle everything. Of course we are on the residents’ side, whereas the company defends the investment and its interest. However, I’m convinced we will reach a common solution to offer special treatment to local residents. But the five-euro toll on the road is undisputable.
Yesterday you said that a tolling system will be also introduced on the Kashar – Rrogozhine – Vlore, which I presuppose it should be the existing Rrogozhine – Vlore road and not a new highway. So, a toll fee is planned to be applied on all main road axis. To understand that the circulation tax will not be removed, since it is a national tax and specific on circulation, will the new roads be built under public-private-partnership projects, or under concessionary contracts? What is the perspective of the roads network and how they will be built and maintained?
PM Rama: Once again, we have invented nothing. Roads around the world are constructed under three approaches. First, on direct state budget money, under public-private-partnership approach, under the “one billion national reconstruction program”, with, by the way, the Arberi Road due to be constructed by a private company and it will be liquidated for an X number of years and is toll-free used and under a direct private investment, just like the approach we are seeking to apply for the construction of the new highway Kashar – Rrogozhine. When I say Kashar – Rrogozhine I don’t mean Kashar – Durres – Rrogozhine, but Kashar – Rrogozhine, a totally new road. Meanwhile discussion is underway to include Tirana – Durres highway and the road to Vlora in a full reconstruction project, since Tirana – Durres highway is currently in a catastrophic state and it is no longer a road. When built, to our eyes it was literally a highway, but this road is in horrible condition. We will see whether there is a concrete project and a discussion will follow.
However, I would like to emphasize one thing, since I happen to hear “the high tariff” expression so frequently. The tariff is set after a study on the traffic flow is conducted. The tariff has nothing to do with the fact whether to road traverses a rich or a poor area, the road is located in north or in south, in a small or a big country. Tariff means cost. The road experiences colossal traffic flow during summer season, but a very low traffic flow during winter, which is translated into a higher tariff. The tariff is not a kilometre-based road charge, in the sense that it determines a fix distance based fee in our republic, because certain roads and distances are used more frequently and some other are less used. I have done such a discussion with experts. When I received first project, I found the tariff very high. Judging from the discussion with experts and studies to understand the system since 2014 when the process was launched, I learned many things I didn’t know and you are not obliged to know as long as you are not dealing with this. It is pretty simple. This is the story on the tariff. No one knows to say about the tariff level on other toll roads without studying first cost. The toll fee on other roads could be lower, since they may experience higher all year round traffic flow. Meanwhile, this contract includes a traffic risk and a projected traffic flow. Should the projected traffic flow is not reached, then the state budget will cover the difference, always to ensure the road’s maintenance.
With regard to the tax, once again, the tax in question has nothing to do with the roads maintenance operations, since it is a national tax. Where do investments come from? After filling the budget hole, our investments in road infrastructure are pursuing a constant upward trend. We had to tackle government arrears of unbudgeted investment projects first and the upward trend in infrastructure investments comes from the state budget. The national taxes go to the state budget and they are not tariffs paid for a certain service. So, the two have nothing to do with each other, since there always be, I think for a long time in the future, many toll-free road axis, but yet they should be maintained. The government will maintain them, no one else does.
Mr. Rama, did you consult with the Kosovo government before imposing the tax, because Kosovo government were taken by surprise?
PM Rama: First of all, it is not a tax. I randomly hear people here in Albania saying taxes have been increased. It is a regrettable story since they name paying electricity and water bills as a tax. They are not taxes, but tariffs on a service. If you use a commodity then you should give away your share to the contribution. Secondly, we had and we have no reasons to consult because it is not a decision, it is not a tariff imposed politically. No tariffs can be levied politically, since it comes at a cost that you either accept or turn down. Should the tariff is high then backtrack on imposing it. But, in the case in question, if not, the end in the foreseeable future is inevitable: the road will be no longer unusable. The media has reported at least three times on the massive rockslides on the highway over the past year alone. The Nation’s Road has been blocked by boulders but it was then opened to traffic within 40 minutes and fortunately no victims have been reported. The study has found that the road has 37 dangerous accident hot spots.
These are investments that will be carried out and the investment-related costs have produced this tariff. Why we had to discuss the matter with the government of Kosovo? This is not a patriotism tariff. Patriotism means paying the tariff, providing your share of contribution and the talks suggesting that tariff will discontinue the tourists flow are simply ridiculous. Nothing will cease. On the contrary, everything will proceed normally since everyone who chooses to visit Albania will continue to do so and whoever chooses to leave will continue to do so. In other words there is no such a risk, the study finds and it is not me saying that, because we have conducted a detailed study on whole this process. Meanwhile, the tariff was not imposed this week. The tariff is known for over two years now and it is not something new.
The tariff is known for over two years, while for around a month, as you said, you are negotiating details with the concessionary company. A tiny detail, why the Kosovo citizens pay in euro and receive the change in Albanian lek?
PM Rama: Because we are still two separate states. We can’t pay in euro since we use lek and pay in lek. But everyone can pay the toll in lek too. The euro-denominated payment has been chosen to ease procedures for the citizens coming from Kosovo, so that it is not necessary to ask them to exchange money and then enter the country. They will also receive the change in lek upon their return since they cannot receive euros here in Albania. I think it is not worth discussing, because it is senseless.
For several days now when the toll road was launched…
PM Rama: Not when the toll was launched, but when the disinformation campaign began.
I don’t think Top Channel (TCH) has conducted a disinformation campaign.
PM Rama: No, I’m not talking about TCH TV, I’m speaking about all those who incite fire on the frontline and then the media simply reflects the fire instigator. I can’t say and it is not true that the media has preceded the disinformation campaign but they just have helped for this campaign to take place. This is the truth.
You made use of the Parliament’s plenary session only, after the tariff was introduced, to provide some explanations to the citizens, including the option of provide toll pass to local residents, or subsidies the company would provide to the Municipality. If the media was to be blamed since it resorted to disinformation, as you say, why you didn’t make use of an interview at ERTV to provide explanations over what was about to happen to the Kukes uninformed citizens?
PM Rama: I don’t interfere in the TCH TV programs, and you should not interfere in ERTV’s programs. Of course I could have done it and we could have done other things too and I said this yesterday. If we didn’t do more, or whether we could have done more then of course we haven’t done the right thing. So this could have been done too. This is the truth but it doesn’t alter the essence of the issue. The essence of issue is that what happened yesterday has nothing to do with the Kukes ordinary citizens’ discontent and protest, two completely different things. To me, they are two different things. Those who set the fire, they should give an account to prosecutors and judges, and the rest deserve continued explanations. That’s why I’m here today on the Easter Day to once again explain and provide more details and urge residents to know chalk from cheese, because of the things you are discontented with. For example I have come across reactions suggesting: “Ok, I agree on the need for a toll on the road, however the tariff is very high,” and such reactions from the local residents are of course rightful. To this end, we are working for a month now because the contract provides for it and not because we were forced to think about what we are doing because the arsonists were sent in. Absolutely not.
There was a considerable number of protesting citizens and I know many of them and they are not barbarians…
PM Rama: I did distinguish among them and I just said that any citizen who joined the protest to express objection and has been correct with the law deserves explanation.
My question was that during the Parliament’s session you thought not protest will take place and I think you know what expression I’m referring to, the one saying that citizens won’t rise in protest, but yesterday they did, probably even because of the failure of your communication to the citizens, by seeking to excel in the communication with the political rivals.
PM Rama: My explanations might well have been insufficient, as I admitted a day ago, and I don’t deny it. With regards to the expression in question, it has nothing to do with this specific case, but it was a comment on the call for revolution since we have witnessed the aspiration for a revolution for sometimes now, and it has nothing to do with this concrete case. Once again, it is regrettable that you keep on insisting to say that those who protested yesterday were citizens. The citizens who took part in the protest yesterday didn’t set the fire. The citizens who set things on fire waste their chance to be called citizens. They are known by one name only, vandals. Vandalism is clearly a definition of everyone who vandalizes, brutalizes and destroys public or private property.
[inaudible… ] on the vandals, sticks and stones they were armed with during a protest called by the Socialist Party at that time.
PM Rama: It’s an old debate and it is irrelevant. I have another opinion. I have the same opinion I’ve had on that day. The protesters on that day didn’t join protest to commit violence and didn’t commit any violence and on the contrary they were attacked by the police. I personally along with Pandeli Majko and a group of people were marching and turned back because of the tear gas smoke and the water cannons. So they are two completely different things. The crowds normally react when under attack by police, but let’s refrain from making totally irrelevant comparisons because in this case we may make a big mistake.
To my knowledge, when a toll is applied on a certain road, an alternative road leading to same destination is available. We know the current state of the old Kukes road. Is there any investment plan? We talked about the toll on vehicles which is set to be 5 euro. But the toll on trucks will be much higher. Will the toll have an impact on the trade exchanges?
PM Rama: This has been already explained, of course no sufficiently, but an explanation was also provided by the Minister during the Parliament’s plenary session. The calculation is simple. In order to avoid the port of Durres, you have to find another port first. The road to any other port costs much higher compared to the toll rate on the road. Therefore, I see no reason for concern in this respect. Of course it would have been much better should no toll is applied, but you should bear one thing in mind. All companies that use the port of Durres to head then to Kosovo, or use the port to travel then to Europe had to pay some 36 euros for each bill, and not for the truck due to the notorious concession contract granted by the previous government. Initially, we condemned the concession contract as purely criminal, because criminal it is, since there is an essential difference between the concession contracts we have granted and the previous concessions. In our viewpoint, the concessions are unacceptable when the state has to pick the citizens’ pocket when seeking to deliver better quality services. When a 36-euro tariff was imposed for every bill no trade flow decline was reported. Many have had to pay even 600, 700 and 800 euros for a single truck. Why the trade flow didn’t fall? Will it fall because of the use of the road? There is no way that can happen.
Of course it is completely a normal thing to ask why. Everyone would have wished no taxes, no payments and tariffs to be levied. Everyone would have wished for much higher salaries, but this something out of this world. We negotiated with the company since the concession contract couldn’t be terminated, because it was approved by the Parliament and it could have become a severe blow in the arbitrage. We cut the payment to 22 euros and, if not wrong, trucks should still pay more than one single bill. It is relaxed, but it is still a heavy cost. Why the trade flow didn’t fall?
With regards to the question whether there should be or shouldn’t be an alternative road, this is not a condition as long as there is a specific system in place favouring the road’s most frequent users.
Were the Socialist councillors who joined the protest a day ago some insufficiently uninformed citizens, or some vandals incited by the opposition’s flames here in Tirana?
PM Rama: The Socialist city councillors who backed the call for protest are no longer members of the Socialist Party and therefore I’m not interested at all to know what they were yesterday. I hope they were merely uninformed citizens and not part of the organized protesters to commit vandalism.
I want to thank you all, hoping this press conference will help you in the efforts to address the unfulfilled obligation for the inadequate explanations. I would like to emphasise that we will immediately start to rebuild the toll plaza and the goal is that once the toll plaza is ready and the system in question is in place all frequent road users understand that they won’t pay the same fee, as long as they live in that area. In the meantime, other residents, starting with the neediest ones, are entitled to best benefit from the subsidy envisaged on the contract, taking for granted that everyone will understand that investments are of a firsthand importance, either to stop the degradation process or to ensure road safety and finally complete this road.
Thank you!
