Decision on the Trebenishtë–Qafë Thanë section expected in July at UNESCO meeting in South Korea

In July, it will become clear what will happen with the Trebenishtë–Qafë Thanë section, when the full report on the Ohrid Region is reviewed at UNESCO’s annual meeting in South Korea.

Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikolloski told “Alsat” that the dilemma is no longer whether the highway toward Qafë Thanë and Albania will be built, but which route it will take.

The statement came after a meeting held over the weekend in Ohrid, where ministers and the mayors of the municipalities of Struga and Ohrid held a closed-door meeting with 15 ambassadors of member states of UNESCO’s Permanent Committee. In addition to visiting the “Bechtel & Enka” camp, the companies building the highways, they also closely inspected the Trebenishtë–Qafë Thanë route.

“The first impressions are good; we will see what the report will be like in July. What we will determine together with UNESCO is whether it will be this route or another route that we choose. They always prefer already developed routes to be used, instead of opening new ones, so that the environment and natural heritage are not damaged. Therefore, whether we continue with the route planned by the previous Government or with a partially developed route, which we would then develop further, is something we will decide together with them,” said Aleksandar Nikolloski.

According to Nikolloski, after the decision expected in July, the Government will be able to begin work on the project. However, he believes implementation should not be carried out according to the current plan.

“If you ask me, I think that what was signed as an agreement by the previous Government does not correspond to reality, because Macedonia does not have 200 airports, but only 2. There is no connection to Ohrid Airport and there is no direct connection to the city of Struga. If tomorrow we build links or road interchanges, that is another matter, but they are not included in the project or in the budget. To leave Struga unconnected and for Ohrid Airport, which serves the entire region, not to be connected, I do not think is right,” emphasized Aleksandar Nikolloski, Minister of Transport.

Regarding the railway that will connect the country with Albania, Nikolloski said that UNESCO no longer has objections on this issue either. A project is now being prepared for the modernization and rehabilitation of the railway line from Skopje to Kërçovë, after which the second phase is planned, including the construction of the railway from Kërçovë, through Ohrid and Struga, to the border with Albania.