One of the branch of the Turkish Stream, a natural gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Western Europe via Turkey, will run from Belgrade to Banja Luka, said the head of Srbija Gas, Dusan Bajatovic, who spoke at a panel organised in Banja Luka by the Center for Lobbying.

Bajatovic said that his company is interested in building that branch and that it would run along the future highway through the north-Bosnian areas of Posavina and Semberija.

He added that it would allow the possibility of connecting Bosnia's Federation entity, one of the two semi-autonomous parts of the country, and Croatia to the pipeline, without saying where exactly the connection points would be.

Representatives of the Energy Ministry of Republika Srpska – the other administrative region in the country where Banja Luka is located – were present at the panel and said they believe the project was realistic.

More Russian gas could cause disputes in the Balkans, analysts said, but added that if the economy remains the focus and not politics, there would be no problems.

The “TurkStream” Serbian section is already under construction and is more than 400 kilometers long.

It was designed by the Italian-Serbian consortium “Sajpem-Serbiagas” and should be completed by December 18, 2019.

The Republika Srpska Government has announced the possibility for the establishment of a joint consortium made of their gas company and Serbia Gas.

Asked whether Bosnia’s state company BH Gas was consulted, Bajatovic said: “We are partners.”