Skopje, 13 February 2026 (MIA) — Bulgaria has ratified the bilateral agreement for building a cross-border railway tunnel on Corridor VIII, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski announced Friday.

"Today, the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria ratified the agreement between Macedonia and Bulgaria for the construction of a cross-border railway tunnel on Corridor VIII," Deputy PM Nikoloski posted on his Facebook profile, recalling that the agreement had been ratified in the Macedonian Parliament in December.

"This fulfills all the conditions for the completion of the railway connection between Skopje and Sofia and Burgas," he wrote.

He added that he was proud the agreement, which he had signed on Nov. 6 with Bulgarian Deputy PM Grozdan Karadjov, would strengthen economic ties between the two countries. 

Also, he said, the agreement "shows Macedonia's strong commitment to the construction of Corridor VIII, which is an exceptionally important security corridor of high interest to NATO and our strategic partners."

The planned length of the cross-border tunnel on Corridor VIII is about 2.4 km, with 1.1893 km on Macedonian territory and 1.1937 km on Bulgarian territory.

The transport minister added that work was underway on Corridor X as well.

"We are making Macedonia a true crossroads in the Balkans for the prosperity of all Macedonian citizens," Nikoloski wrote. mr/