site.btaNorth Macedonia’s PM: Bulgaria’s Draft Tunnel Agreement Must Define Responsibilities for Both Countries

The agreement proposed by Bulgaria for building a tunnel at the border with North Macedonia, part of Corridor 8's railway line, "should clearly outline the responsibilities of both countries," said Thursday Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski. The draft agreement was discussed during a government meeting in Skopje last week, where a working group was formed, comprised of North Macedonia's ministers of foreign affairs, transport, and finance, as well as the director of Railway Infrastructure.

Mickoski expects Bulgaria to form a similar high-level group to begin working on the matter. According to him, the agreement should outline commitments from both sides.

“The Macedonian side is responsible for building the section from Kriva Palanka to the tunnel entrance (Deve Bair at the border with Bulgaria). The tunnel should have both an entrance and an exit and will be a joint project. Bulgaria would then construct the section from Gyueshevo to connect to the national railway, which is about 2-3 kilometres, and afterward, Bulgaria should seek EU funds, loans, or whatever means to modernize the section from Gyueshevo to Sofia, ensuring functional continuity. In short, there needs to be a clear commitment and dedication from the Bulgarian side for what they signed in Washington – the priority for Corridor 8," Mickoski said.

In July 2024, at the NATO Summit in Washington, a letter of intent was signed for building harmonized corridors for military mobility between Italy, Albania, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria as part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 8. The goal is to enhance NATO’s deterrence and defence potential, improve cooperation in military mobility, strengthen transport connectivity between the countries, and stimulate regional economic development, as well as deepen cooperation between NATO and the EU.

Mickoski also mentioned that discussions need to take place with the Albanian government to see how they plan to build the section from Durres to the border with North Macedonia, as the Corridor 8 project should connect the Black Sea with the Adriatic Sea.

“If anyone thinks that Corridor 8 is about spending half a billion euros to connect Kriva Palanka and Kumanovo, that’s not the case. I want to see a project where, if we are spending money - your money, the people’s money - it will at least bring some benefit. Meaning, you will get something out of it,” Mickoski added.

The transnational East-West transport axis (Corridor 8) extends from the port of Bari in Italy to the ports of Varna and Burgas in Bulgaria. The central part of this pan-European corridor passes through North Macedonia - Kichevo, Skopje, Kumanovo, Beljakovtse and Kriva Palanka. However, there are missing links at the western end (from Kichevo to the Albanian border) and at the eastern end (from Kumanovo to the Bulgarian border), part of which (from Kumanovo to Beljakovtse) was put into operation on January 17.

The agreement proposed by Bulgaria concerns building the tunnel at the border between the two countries, while North Macedonia is responsible for constructing the second and third sections of the route - from Beljakovce to Kriva Palanka and from Kriva Palanka to the Bulgarian border.