Skopje, 10 March 2026 (MIA) - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski met Tuesday with Charles Cormier, Infrastructure Regional Director at the World Bank. At the meeting in Washington, the two discussed strengthening the partnership between North Macedonia and the World Bank in support of development projects across the country.

Nikoloski stressed that the World Bank’s support is crucial in infrastructure and transport, announcing new projects for municipalities.  

In a press release, the Ministry of Transport said Nikoloski will be one of the keynote speakers at the Transforming Transportation 2026 event hosted by the World Bank in Washington, which focuses on infrastructure and transport development and their impact on economic development. 

“It is a great honor to spend these two days at the World Bank headquarters in Washington and to speak as one of the keynote speakers at the global event organized by the World Bank. I will touch upon transport, communications, infrastructure, and everything we are working on. We will also have the opportunity to discuss the projects we are implementing in Macedonia. These are high-level meetings,” Nikoloski said.

The Deputy Prime Minister added that the country has had excellent cooperation with the World Bank, noting that there is no municipality, city, or village in the country where local streets are not currently being built with the World Bank’s assistance.

“About 286 kilometers of local roads are being constructed with World Bank assistance. We are also improving the situation at the Customs Administration, where eight institutions will be integrated into one system, enabling faster movement of goods and people, eliminating border delays for freight traffic, something very important in these challenging conditions. Reconstruction of two border crossings is also underway: Qafasan, connecting us with Albania, and Deve Bair, connecting us with Bulgaria. In the coming period, we will also work on Intelligent Transport Systems, on improving traffic conditions in customs and other sectors where we cooperate. I would like to announce numerous new projects with the World Bank in Macedonia, especially in urban mobility, where we already have a pilot project in Skopje that will later expand to other cities,” the Deputy PM said.

According to Nikoloski, one of the biggest challenges for many municipalities right now is cleanliness, which is why he said together with the World Bank the Government is working on a project for the City of Skopje that will provide vehicles for Communal Hygiene, aiming to completely transform the image of cleanliness in the municipalities. 

Charles Cormier, Infrastructure Regional Director at the World Bank, welcomed Nikoloski’s participation in the global event and highlighted that this year the World Bank is focusing on sustainable and inclusive transport solutions worldwide, as a prerequisite for growth and job creation.

Photo: Transport Ministry