Bulgaria will render assistance before the European Union in terms of the acceleration of the construction of the railway infrastructure along Corridor VIII on the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Krasimir Papukchiyski at a meeting with the general directors of the managers of the railway infrastructure companies of the two countries.
"Corridor VIII is of strategic importance not only for the European Union, but also for the development of the entire Balkan region. This transport connection will provide an opportunity to increase the cargo flow from the ports of Varna and Burgas through North Macedonia to Durres towards Europe. This will significantly improve connectivity between the two countries," Krasimir Papukchiiski pointed out.
He emphasized the desire of the Bulgarian side to provide expert and methological assistance to the Macedonian specialists in the preparation of the pre-project studies, as well as in the management of the railway infrastructure modernization projects financed with European funds.
The Deputy Minister noted that in addition to the construction of railway infrastructure, an important element for connectivity in the North-South And East-West direction is the construction of intermodal terminals. "By the end of this year, National Railway Infrastructure Company will start a procedure for the construction of an intermodal terminal in Ruse, according to the Recovery and Resilience Plan," Papukchiyski announced. He added that according to the expert assessment, the efficiency of the transport system in North Macedonia will increase significantly, if efforts are made to build additional infrastructure to serve intermodal transport along the main railway lines.
During the talks, the development stages of Deve Bair tunnel project were discussed, as well as the possibilities for additional financing.