site.btaGreece Is Bulgaria's Most Sincere, Valuable Partner - Transport Minister Karadjov

Greece is Bulgaria's most sincere and valuable partner, which is proved by the serious presence of Greek businesses in Bulgaria. The two countries have common economic interests, especially in the development of transport links after Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov here on Thursday. He was speaking at a business forum organized by the Bulgarian-Greek Chamber of Commerce and Industry and hosted by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) as a partner of the event.

"Greece is our most sincere and valuable partner. A country that long before us started on a democratic path, that long before us developed market relations and that did not shy away from sharing it with us. It is no coincidence that Greek business is so well represented, that its presence in Bulgaria is so widespread, for which we are not just grateful. We are happy to work together in a common family - the European family", said Karadjov.

In his words, Bulgaria appreciates that behind the economic and trade prospects, there are very warm ties between the two countries. "Since the beginning of 2025, another decisive step has been taken towards the rapprochement of the two countries, the full development of the potential of our bilateral relations, with Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area, for which we should also thank Greece and your valuable support," the Deputy PM said further.

"For us Bulgarians, this was the achievement of a long-standing strategic goal; a dream that we Bulgarians shared among ourselves. The benefits of our full membership in the Schengen area are in many directions. First of all, it is our full participation in the implementation of the foundation of our European idea with the free movement of people, goods and capital. It also opens up new horizons not only for more comfortable and faster travel for the citizens of our two countries, but also for the development of business relations through the increasingly free movement of goods between our two countries," the Deputy Prime Minister said further.

In his words, in terms of transport, Bulgaria has the clear support and understanding with Greece that it is to their mutual benefit to develop the South-North transport corridors.

In his words, in the last few weeks meetings were held with Greek Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Staikouras, during which a new start was made in the development of transport connectivity between the two countries. Karadjov noted that Bulgaria and Greece "simultaneously and synchronously close the circle" of the main transport routes in the European Union, with the aim of moving passengers and freight simultaneously by road and rail. 

The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that the Struma motorway project, which has been hampered for 25 years by the debates over the section in the Kresna Gorge, is of key importance. He expressed the hope that Bulgaria will be able to cope with this problem and that "by 2031 we will be able to congratulate ourselves with a highway from Athens to Vidin and Ruse, because the Hemus motorway will also have to be completed."

"The other thing that is very important for us to develop are the Bulgarian seaports of Varna and Burgas, which stand in the way of cargo traffic between Asia and Europe - that is, the Western Corridor. Here we also have a common goal with Greece, with my Greek counterpart we are working on Corridor 8," Karadjov said. He added, however, that in this respect they do not meet enough cooperation from the Republic of North Macedonia.  

"We hope that with the help of the European Commission we will overcome this last hurdle, and passengers, goods, and capital will be able to move in all four directions unhindered," the Deputy Prime Minister added.

Karadjov also spoke about the need for cooperation in terms of the defence potential of the two countries. "We live, unfortunately, in times of global change. Times that rather teach us to be cautious and careful, to watch and develop both our economic relations and our common defence capability. And this makes cooperation between Bulgaria and Greece on the South-North axis and on the Corridor 8 West-East axis all the more important. I hope that with joint efforts we will become not only richer and more developed countries, but also more stable in the defence direction," Karadjov added.

At the forum, companies from the following sectors participated from the Greek side: trade, import-export, food industry, consulting services, electrical appliances, solar panels, tourism, insurance services, plastic and paper products, innovations, information technology, construction, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry, real estate, production and trade of food products and raw materials.