Skopje, 20 September 2024 (MIA) — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski held a working dinner in Budapest on Thursday evening with his Belgian, Maltese, Greek, German, and Cypriot counterparts to discuss the development of the regional transport sector.

According to a Ministry of Transport press release, Minister Nikoloski presented the country's priorities, including the construction of a high-speed railway on Corridor X and facilitating transport and trade between the countries of the Western Balkans. He also highlighted the importance of Corridor VIII construction.

On Friday, Nikoloski will hold working meetings with the transport ministers of Italy, Hungary and Austria as well as with EU representatives and present to them the Macedonian priorities in this sector.

The Budapest informal ministerial meeting is organized by the Hungarian EU Presidency. Participants include EU transport ministers as well as transport ministers of the Western Balkans; the European Free Trade Association countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland; Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia; and representatives of various EU institutions and transport organizations.

The topics of Friday's discussion include the challenges the EU's transport sector has been facing as well as ways to improve competitiveness and connection between the EU and neighboring countries, including the Western Balkan countries. 

Meeting participants will pay special attention to the railway sector, focusing on strategies for building a high-speed regional railway network. mr/