The government of North Macedonia is setting up a working group to examine Bulgaria's proposed agreement for the construction of the cross-border railway tunnel along Corridor 8, BGNES reports.
Skopje said it is strongly committed to the construction and modernisation of European transport corridors, including Corridor 8.
"In order for the railway to function and for the Corridor to make sense and meet the needs for which it is intended, there should be a joint project for the tunnel with Bulgaria and construction should be done jointly along the entire tunnel section," the statement read.
The working group will consist of Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski; Foreign Minister Timcho Mutsunski; Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrijeska-Kochoska and the director of the public enterprise Railways of the Republic of North Macedonia - Infrastructure, Siniša Ivanovski.
The government in Skopje underlined that Corridor 8 is a strategic project that is receiving a lot of attention and activities are being undertaken to complete it as a priority.
"We would like to reiterate that the goal of the government, through the Ministry of Transport, is to continue the construction of the eastern part of Corridor 8 and to connect it with the Republic of Bulgaria. It is also necessary on the Bulgarian side to complete the construction of the missing railway to the border crossing, as well as to upgrade the railway line from Gyueshevo to Sofia. Macedonia, for its part, will revise the cost. Improving connectivity within the Western Balkans and European Union countries is a key factor for further integration, which will bring benefits to the economies and citizens of the region," the Macedonian government noted.
The Bulgarian government sent the agreement to Skopje on 15 January.
The Bulgarian state's proposal is for the two governments to make concrete and clear commitments on the implementation of the border railway tunnel, which is a key part of the construction of the European transport Corridor 8.
With the signing of the contract, the technical, financial, legal and organisational issues related to the construction of the tunnel will be agreed, which must be in line with the European and national legislation of Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
According to the proposal, the two sides will agree who will be responsible for the construction of the cross-border facility, for public procurement and for construction supervision.
The agreement proposed by Bulgaria, if accepted and signed, foresees that within three months of its entry into force Bulgaria and North Macedonia will prepare and send to the European Commission (EC) and the financial institutions a common timetable for the implementation of the construction.
"The two countries will make every effort to secure grant support for the construction of the tunnel and its adjacent railway infrastructure, complying with EU and NATO requirements in terms of Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) standards," the draft agreement said.
The Bulgarian side is ready to start talks with North Macedonia on the proposed texts as soon as possible and then proceed with their signing. | BGNES
