site.btaTransport Minister Karadzhov Discusses Development of North-South Transport Route with Greek Counterpart Christos Staikouras

It is very important to speed up the construction of the transport corridors - from Thessaloniki to Vidin and from there to Northern and Western Europe, as well as the project that connects Alexandroupolis on one side with Ruse and on the other with Varna and Burgas, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov at a meeting with Greece's Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Staikouras on Monday in Sofia.

Minister Karadzhov pointed out that it was important that talks be held soon between Bulgaria, Greece and Romania in order to present a common plan for the construction of the routes to the European Commission and to seek additional funding for the strategic projects on the North-South route. The bilateral meeting took place in the framework of the ministers' participation in the fifth edition of the Sofia Economic Forum.

"Just a few weeks ago, there was a border between our two countries that made it difficult for citizens and businesses alike - hours were wasted waiting", Karadzhov said. "For businesses, this amounted to very real financial losses - over EUR 500 million in lost profits. Today this obstacle has been overcome and the full accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area is one of the most significant events for the region," he added. In his words, more than 18,000 Greek companies are already operating in Bulgaria, with investments exceeding EUR 3.5 billion. "This is proof that not only have we made a good start, but also that our relations are developing at an excellent pace," Karadzhov said.

He also stressed that Corridor 8 remains a key logistics route along NATO's southern flank from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and is of great importance in the current geopolitical moment.