Construction started on railway section between North Macedonia and Bulgaria

The Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, Galab Donev and Dimitar Kovachevski, on October 29 launched the construction of the railway line from Kumanovo to Beljakovce in North Macedonia. The line should reach the border with Bulgaria and is part of the trans-European corridor number 8 - a project more than two decades old. Kovachevski and Donev did not miss the hot topic of the opening of a Macedonian cultural club "Nikola Vaptsarov" in Blagoevgrad tomorrow.

89 km of road - that is how many railway tracks should be built from Kumanovo to the Bulgarian border. Divided into several lots - from Kumanovo to Beljakovce, Beljakovce - Kriva Palanka, Deve Bair - Bulgarian border - this line is part of the trans-European corridor number 8, the idea for which is over two decades old.

Corridor 8 aims to connect Italy, Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia and Bulgaria, from Brindisi - via Duras - Tirana - Skopje - Sofia - Plovdiv - Bourgas and Varna and is of strategic importance for the EU and also for NATO.

The infrastructure included in corridor number 8 has been the aspiration of many generations over the past 140 years, Prime Minister Galab Donev said. His colleague Dimitar Kovatchevski said that with the railway the two countries are building their common future, which is regional connectivity, good neighbourliness, economic development, fast travel for people on both sides of the border.

Regarding the "Nikola Vaptsarov" club, which was opened in Blagoevgrad, PM Kovacevski pointed out that he cannot stop anyone who wants to go to do so, but that Skopje will send an official request for an official club in the city. Caretaker PM Donev said that the organisation behind the club has a pronounced anti-European profile and that Bulgaria will monitor for illegal ideas in its activities.

Many first digs have been made over the years on this railway, reaffirmed as a priority in memoranda between the two governments as recently as 2014, 2017, 2019 and now. The Corridor Eight project also includes the construction of a motorway to the Bulgarian border.

More than 30 km of railway line for several tens of millions of euros should connect Kumanovo and Beljakovce. And from there the line should continue to the Bulgarian border. In front of his Bulgarian counterpart Galab Donev and European ambassadors, Dimitar Kovatchevski announced that the connection between the two countries will become a reality.

Good neighbourliness means more connectivity, economic cooperation, cultural exchange between the two countries, Prime Minister Kovacevski announced.

Caretaker Prime Minister Galab Donev said that Bulgaria is working to include corridor number 8 in the European transport network as a priority.

"The consequences of the war in Ukraine reveal once again one of the most vulnerable places of our region - namely the undeveloped, and even missing, infrastructure. In the face of a potential energy and food crisis, it is vital to ensure direct supply routes," said Galab Donev.

Instead, our countries seek supplies through third countries, which increases the price, Donev said.

"For the first time in the history of Bulgaria and North Macedonia, trade is expected to reach 1 billion euros at the end of the year. Imagine what the result would be if there was a developed infrastructure between Bulgaria and North Macedonia," said Galab Donev.

The European Union is financing the construction of the railway line to Bulgaria with over half a billion euros - the biggest European investment in North Macedonia so far, explained the EU ambassador to Bulgaria David Geer.

"We look forward to the day when we will be able to travel by train from the Adriatic to the Black Sea through the territory of two EU candidate countries and one member state, and to the day when we will be able to travel without leaving the EU - after the accession of North Macedonia and Albania," said David Geer, EU Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia.

About the Nikola Vaptsarov club, opened in Blagoevgrad, PM Kovacevski said that it is privately funded and that he cannot stop anyone who wants to go. He called for rapprochement between the two sides and not to use rhetoric in the opposite direction.

Galab Donev pointed out that the state will carefully monitor for illegal ideas in the activities of the Nikola Vaptsarov Club.

"This club is unconstitutional and is not registered under the laws of Bulgaria, moreover, the funding of this club, as Prime Minister Kovacevski mentioned, is from an organization in Canada, which has very dubious anti-European, anti-American, anti-Semitic messages and works in this direction. Of course, we will make sure that this club does not preach or advocate ideas that contradict the laws in Bulgaria," said Donev.

Responding to the media in Skopje whether the inclusion of Bulgarians in the constitution will stop the Bulgarian blockades, Donev reminded:

"Bulgaria is part of the EU and Bulgaria has set its conditions, but these conditions, which have already been reaffirmed by the EU member states, are cemented with 27 signatures. What is in the treaty and what is to be implemented in order to hold the first intergovernmental conference, this is something that North Macedonia should strive for. The road is difficult, but all candidate countries for membership have passed it," Donev reminded.

Finally, media from Skopje asked Ambassador David Geer why on his visit to North Macedonia EC President Ursula von der Leyen had called Macedonians "North Macedonians". He recalled that she had come with €80 million in aid to solve the energy crisis, with the Frontex agreement also signed in Macedonian, and that she herself had stated how beautiful the Macedonian language, recognised by the EU, was.

In the framework of the French proposal, Bulgaria made public a declaration pointing out that all documents mentioning it should not be interpreted as Bulgaria's recognition of the "Macedonian language".

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