The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications has expressed an official position on the latest statements in the Republic of North Macedonia on Corridor 8.

For more than 3 months, the Republic of North Macedonia has been delaying the conclusion of an agreement on the preparation and construction of Corridor 8, jeopardising the timely construction of the project, which is crucial for the collective security of NATO and the EU.

This is stated in an official position of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) after the Macedonian Ministry of Transport accused the Bulgarian side of distorting the facts regarding the construction of Corridor 8, BGNES reports.

"On 15 January 2025, the Republic of Bulgaria proposed to the Republic of North Macedonia a Draft Intergovernmental Agreement for the preparation and construction of a cross-border railway tunnel facility connecting the railway network of the two countries. 

This is the only open issue between the two countries in the field of rail transport, which, however, is not only of bilateral importance, but constitutes an important element of NATO's collective security architecture and connectivity between EU Member States.

The Republic of Bulgaria is ready to sign the Agreement immediately and to start immediate actions for the construction of the tunnel facility. If Skopje has objections to the proposed text, the Republic of Bulgaria is ready to negotiate to overcome them, as long as it is aware of them. 

There has been no response from the Republic of North Macedonia on the Draft Agreement for more than three months. There has been a periodic insistence on meetings without a clear objective and without specific issues to discuss.

Skopje's unwillingness to comment on the proposed Draft or to confirm its readiness to sign the text in its current form threatens the timely construction of the crucially important for NATO and EU collective security transport Corridor VIII.

While awaiting a response from Skopje and mobilising the attention of its NATO and EU partners to this problem, the Republic of Bulgaria will continue to build and modernise the sections of Corridor VIII on its territory, in which it has already invested over 4 billion leva", reads the position of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. | BGNES