Skopje, 1 November 2024 (MIA) - One contractor to build the railway tunnel between Macedonia and Bulgaria, the price and the project for the third section to be revised and Bulgaria to complete its part of the railway, it was agreed in Sofia at yesterday's meeting of the Macedonian and Bulgarian delegations as part of the EU-mediated talks.

“The three key arguments by Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski were accepted. Firstly, there has to be a joint tunnel project in order not to build a tunnel leading nowhere; Bulgaria should complete its part of the railway, and thirdly, the price, which is too high, to be revised as well as the whole project,” the Transport Ministry said in a press release Friday.

In the meeting, the Macedonian delegation, comprised of Transport Ministry’s state secretary Stefan Volkanovski and Sinisha Ivanovski, Director of Railway Infrastructure, said Macedonia will not quit railway connectivity and the project is seen as a regional project underlining the development of European transport networks, said the press release. 

In the meeting, both delegations accepted that the whole project, specifically phase 3 (Kriva Palanka – Deve Bair section) should be re-examined since the current price is too high and unreasonable in order to be reduced.

The two delegations, added the press release, also agreed to use a decision on technical tunnel project, filed by Railways Infrastructure public enterprise.

“It was agreed that the two countries should set up working groups to prepare paperwork for the tunnel,” said the Transport Ministry. 

During the meeting, delegation members shared information, a timeframe for construction as well as experience over technical issues for the construction of Corridor 8, especially for procedures for future functioning of the Deve Bair border tunnel. 

Furthermore, the delegations agreed to present the agreements they made before competent financial institutions of the EU, said the press release. 

MIA file photo