Shtip, 29 July 2024 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Bulgaria is politicizing the Government’s announced reallocation of funds from the construction of the railway to Bulgaria for its domestic political needs, even though, he said, the decision is based on a purely engineering issue since there is no clear project on the Bulgarian side.

“We aren’t talking about any change of interest. We are simply talking about how things should be set on the right track. As they are right now, it would be mad for us as a Government to agree with a project that ends in the middle of a tunnel in a dead end and spend half a billion euro of taxpayer money, since the cost of the project is EUR 560 million, of which 360 million are from a loan and 200 million are from a grant,” Mickoski said in answer to a journalist’s question on Monday.

Mickoski said he expects understanding from creditors regarding the intention to reallocate funds from the loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank taken out by the previous Government for the construction of the railway to Bulgaria.

“I am not politicizing this, unlike our eastern neighbor. I regret that, once again, they are politicizing this issue for their internal political needs. This is an engineering issue, it has nothing to do with politics. We want to construct Corridor VIII, I am the first to say that, but let’s do it properly. It is irresponsible to embark on an adventure which we don’t know when and if it will end,” Mickoski added. 

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