site.btaSofia Concludes Railway Memorandum with Skopje

Skopje/Sofia, August 1 (BTA) - Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski and Macedonian Transport Minister Goran Sugareski on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding to develop railway links between their countries, Moskovski's ministry reported.

The signing of the memorandum in Skopje came on the same day that Bulgaria and Macedonia concluded a historic Goodneighbourliness Treaty.

The transport memorandum lays the groundwork for completing the railway link between the two countries' capitals. Bulgaria undertakes to complete the railway connecting Sofia with Pernik, Radomir and the Macedonian border by 2027, while Macedonia is committed to building the section from Kriva Palanka to Deve Bair by 2025.

Moskovski said the completion of the railway link between Sofia and Skopje will turn a new page in bilateral relations.

He recalled the European Commission's view that Corridor 8 is essential for the integration of the Western Balkans and needs targeted funding. He said meetings are coming up with European Commissioners Violeta Bulc (Transport) and Johannes Hahn (Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations) to discuss the further actions of the parties to the project.

Studies have shown that the upgrade of the railway from Sofia to the Macedonian border will cost about 800 million euro, Moskovski said.

He invited Macedonia to join the Functional Airspace Block between Bulgaria and Romania (Danube FAB), which he described as a successful project. "This will increase the benefits and improve air traffic," Moskovski noted.