site.btaMinistry of Transport: Skopje's Incorrect Approach Will Not Further Corridor 8 Project

The construction of Transport Corridor 8 has caused political commentary in the Republic of North Macedonia, which had the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications publish a response on its website on Friday criticizing "Skopje's incorrect and unpragmatic approach".

The Ministry's response reads: "With regard to the latest statement by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport of the Republic of North Macedonia Nikoloski on Corridor VIII, the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Bulgaria notes with regret, but without surprise, that it represents yet another political intrigue and abuse of Bulgaria's constructive approach. His statement in front of the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia, according to which Bulgaria had rejected the proposal for a meeting in Skopje is a lie and a manipulation. The invitation to this meeting was received after the aforementioned statement by Nikoloski. Bulgaria has not refused, but will respond after, together with the EC [European Commission] and the European financial institutions, it has received Skopje's comments on the document from the technical meeting in Sofia, held on October 31, 2024."

The statement continues: "Skopje's incorrect and unpragmatic approach will not lead to results. The construction of Section 3 Kriva palanka - Deve bair is a commitment solely and exclusively of the Republic of North Macedonia. Bulgaria has clearly stated its deadlines and commitments for the construction of the section on its territory."

The Ministry of Transport confirmed that Bulgaria, along with its partners, will stay committed to developing this strategic corridor.

The Minister of Transport of the Republic of North Macedonia Aleksandar Nikoloski answered questions about Corridor VIII in the National Assembly of North Macedonia earlier in the week. Nikoloski, using a football analogy, remarked that North Macedonia has handed Bulgaria a 0-3 defeat in the context of the railway Corridor VIII.

This is the latest development of an ongoing dispute between the two countries. On Tuesday, Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova commented: "Skopje is blocking bilateral and European projects," citing as an example Corridor VIII.

On November 8, caretaker Minister of Transport and Communications, Krasimira Stoyanova identified the development of Corridor VIII on Bulgarian territory as a priority. "We are also actively working to upgrade and implement the 2.5 km rail link project with the Republic of North Macedonia, which is to be funded under the Transport Connectivity Programme," Stoyanova said.

At the end of October, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also spoke of the strategic importance of corridor VIII during a meeting in Skopje with North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski. "We are also investing in clean transport for better connectivity across the region and with Europe. This includes the very important project of Railway Corridor VIII, connecting you with Albania to the West and with Bulgaria to the East," von der Leyen said.

There have been multiple meetings between representatives of both countries. At a working meeting in Sofia at the end of October, the two sides exchanged information, outlined a timeframe and shared their experiences on technical issues and topics related to the construction of Corridor VIII, and reached an agreement on the technical parameters.

In mid-October, Stoyanova said that Bulgaria and North Macedonia had reaffirmed their commitment to continue the construction of Railway Corridor VIII under the TEN-T Regulation. Nikoloski responded that the current design of railway Corridor VIII "will certainly not be implemented" and it remains to be seen whether a new one will be implemented.

The transnational East-West transport axis (Corridor VIII) stretches from the port of Bari in Italy to the ports of Varna and Burgas in Bulgaria. The central part of this 1,315-km-long pan-European corridor passes through North Macedonia.

Construction works on it in the territory of North Macedonia, between Kumanovo- Beljakovce-Kriva Palanka, was officially launched in October 2022 near Kumanovo with the participation of the prime ministers at the time Galab Donev of Bulgaria and Dimitar Kovachevski of North Macedonia.

The total length of the eastern end of the Corridor VIII railway on the territory of North Macedonia is 88.2 km.