According to the bill, the tunnel will be 2,383 meters long, of which 1,193.70 meters will be located on Bulgarian territory and 1,189.30 meters on North Macedonian territory.
The Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia today unanimously adopted the draft law on the ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria on the preparation, construction, and operation of the cross-border railway tunnel. The bill was submitted for consideration and adoption by the plenary session of parliament.
Krum Efremov, Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, explained that the agreement regulates the technical, financial, and organizational issues related to the preparation, construction, and operation of the railway tunnel that will connect the two countries.
“The construction of this infrastructure must also meet the requirements of the EU and NATO for such projects, especially with regard to the standards and technical specifications of the trans-European transport network. The agreement will also create positive political and economic conditions for broader trade and industrial cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and our country, both in the construction and operation of the border crossing point and in the maintenance of the tunnel,” Efremov emphasized.
He added that the ratification of the agreement creates the conditions for the launch and implementation of this project.
According to the bill, the tunnel will be 2,383 meters long, of which 1,193.70 meters will be located on the territory of Bulgaria and 1,189.30 meters on the territory of North Macedonia. The facility will connect the Sofia-Pernik-Radomir-Gyueshevo-border between the two countries-Kriva Palanka-Belakovci-Kumanovo-Skopje railway line.
MP Antonio Milososki welcomed the conclusion of the agreement and expressed his gratitude for the friendly commitment and mediation of representatives of the French Republic, who made significant efforts to conclude it.
The committee also approved at first reading the draft law on the ratification of the Agreement on Defense Cooperation between the Government of France and the Government of North Macedonia, as well as the draft law on the ratification of Additional Protocol 7 on the settlement of disputes to the Treaty amending and acceding to the Central European Free Trade Agreement. | BGNES