As Turkish companies continue to invest in the Balkans, which has a foreign trade volume of $50 billion, leading firms such as Limak, Cengiz, Mapa, TAV and İçtaş Construction are seeking the restoration and operation tender for the two airports in Montenegro.

Montenegro's Transport and Maritime Affairs Minister Osman Nurkovic said that five of the 25 proposals for two airports came from Turkish companies. "We want to expand our airport's current capacity of 2.5 million passengers," he said. "We will double the capacity, which increases by 10 percent annually, in 10 years. We are planning an investment amount of about 200 million euros."

In the Balkan countries, spearheaded by Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Roma

nia, Turkish companies are carrying out many projects, ranging from industry to textiles, from marina to real estate, the automotive industry, and airport and highway construction.

Minister Nurkovic told Montenegrin-Turkish Businessmen's Association (KATIAD) President Necmi Saykun and accompanying press members about investment opportunities in his country, adding they are going out to tender for the 30-year rental of the two airports in Montenegro in terms of renovation and operation. "The companies preparing their documents will be accepted in the first tender, which will take about 30 days. We will later receive the real bids, which will also take 60 or 90 days," he added.

Noting that they foresee an investment of 80 million euros ($89.33 million) in two years for the two airports, Minister Nurkovic said: "We expect an investment of 200 million euros in 30 years. The second requirement is that investors should grant 100 million euros to the state budget. They will give 10 percent of their annual turnover to the Montenegrin state," he said. Also inviting Turkish companies to highway tenders, he said they reached the completion stage of the first phase of a highway tender. "We are preparing the paperwork for the bidding," he said. "The Chinese are placing serious bids, but we will look at other companies as well. The 58-kilometer first stage costs 280 million euros," Minister Nurkovic said, adding there will be other tenders as well. "We also receive investment from European funds. Montenegro is a small country, but we have many projects. A highway project will be carried out in Budva with an investment of 200 million euros."

The total investment of Turkish companies in the Balkans reportedly amounts to approximately $15 billion.

The tourism, banking, transportation, infrastructure, agriculture, animal husbandry and energy sectors are the main investment areas in Balkan countries. Turkish real estate firms are also undertaking various projects in Budva, one of the most important coastal towns in Montenegro. Limak Holding is one of the first companies among Turkish investors to discover the potential of the Balkans. Limak, which has an electricity distribution company called KEK in Kosovo, also operates Pristina International Adem Jashari Airport in Kosovo and has started a mixed project in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. TAV, on the other hand, operates Macedonia's Skopje and Ohrid airports.