The joint working group of North Macedonia and Bulgaria held its first meeting in Sofia today, focusing on the preparation and implementation of the project to build the joint cross-border railway tunnel on Corridor 8.
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Under the agreement, the group is headed by the deputy transport ministers of the two countries. Deputy Minister of Transport Kaltrina Zekolli Shaqiri served as co-chair for North Macedonia, while the Bulgarian side was represented in this role by Deputy Minister Cveta Timeva.
In addition to Kaltrina Zekolli Shaqiri, the group included representatives from the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning. Representatives of the Public Enterprise for Railway Infrastructure and Railways Transport JSC – Skopje also took part.
In her capacity as co-chair, Kaltrina Zekolli Shaqiri said the cross-border railway tunnel is a strategic investment of regional importance. According to her, the project will establish a rail link between the two countries, make passenger and freight transport faster and more efficient, and create opportunities to expand economic cooperation between the two countries.
The discussions focused on the key activities required to prepare for and build the cross-border tunnel. Representatives of both sides reaffirmed their readiness to increase cooperation and strengthen mutual coordination throughout every stage of the project’s implementation.
At the meeting, the parties aligned their positions on establishing a clear timetable of activities and assigning specific responsibilities among the relevant institutions of North Macedonia and Bulgaria. They also agreed to continue joint technical preparations for the construction of the cross-border railway tunnel.
The participants also outlined the next steps for securing financial support and coordinating technical matters. At the same time, they reaffirmed their shared goal of accelerating the implementation of this strategic infrastructure project.
The parties described Corridor 8 as one of Europe’s most important transport corridors and also highlighted the European Commission’s strong support for its implementation.
Based on the adopted conclusions, the next meeting of the joint working group will be held in Skopje. The participants will review the progress made in implementing the agreed activities and determine the next steps for carrying out the project.
Through the Ministry of Transport, the Government remains fully committed to implementing strategic infrastructure projects and developing railway infrastructure, with the aim of improving regional connections and integrating into the European transport network.
