London, 21 May 2025 (MIA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski officially kicked off his working visit to the United Kingdom Wednesday with a meeting in London with the representatives from the UK Export Finance (UKEF), MIA’s London correspondent reported.

Nikolovski assessed the meeting as the most important part of the visit, explaining that it covered details regarding the funds Macedonia could utilize in the coming period.

“It is about £5 billion that are now being made available to Macedonia, something UKEF confirmed. I am happy to say that after this meeting, those £5 billion or €6 billion are definitely available to Macedonia. These funds can be used for project-based financing, meaning they are tied to specific projects that will bring added value to Macedonia,” Nikoloski added.

He noted that the projects cover sectors such as transport, healthcare, education, energy, technology, and the environment.

“We discussed three groups of projects. The first is the high-speed railway along Corridor 10, from Tabanovce to Gevgelija. The second includes the construction of hospitals in Kichevo, Tetovo, and Shtip. The third involves building a medical faculty and a student dormitory in Shtip. These project sets have already been confirmed. Following the signing of the government-to-government agreement on Thursday and its ratification in the Macedonian Parliament, we will begin official talks regarding the financing and implementation of these projects. We expect to share further details very soon,” Nikolovski said.

The Macedonian delegation consists of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Izet Mexhiti, along with the Director of the Public Enterprise for Railway Infrastructure Sinisha Ivanovski. Minister of Education Vesna Janevska will join the delegation on Thursday.

Nikoloski expects a very successful visit to the UK, with political meetings planned for Wednesday afternoon.

“We are scheduled to meet with the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Minister of Defence, and tomorrow with the Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports, with whom we will jointly sign the government-to-government agreement,” Nikoloski said.

He explained the ratification process in both countries. "In the country, the agreement will be ratified in Parliament, while in the UK it will be approved by the Government. Once the agreement is effective, we will start official discussions and negotiations on project implementation. I said my ambition is to have the agreements by summer and to start fieldwork by late autumn,” Nikoloski added.

On Tuesday, the Macedonian government approved the text of the agreement that will be signed on Thursday, after the two countries reached an agreement on strategic partnership.

Photo: MIA