The railway and road connections between Greece and Bulgaria, as well as the cooperation in the port of Alexandroupoli, which is becoming an energy hub of particular geopolitical importance, were at the center of the meeting of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Kostas Karamanlis, with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications of Bulgaria, Hristo Alexie , the Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stoyanov, the Minister of Energy Rosen Christov and the Ambassador of Bulgaria Valentin Poriazov.
“Solidarity and cooperation”
In his statements after the meeting, Mr. Karamanlis noted that that it highlighted the solidarity and cooperation of the two countries, especially at a time when in the Balkans and Europe are facing difficult challenges due to the war in Ukraine.
Noting that in the poast the so-called iron curtain divided the two countries which are now united by the European Union to their mutual benefit. This is the reason for the emphasis plafced on the transnational project “Sea2Sea”, the modern high-speed railway connection with Bulgaria, but also with Romania.
From the Aegean to the Black Sea
Thie mega project will connect the ports of northern Greece and the Aegean with the Black Sea and the Danube creating a land freight bridge, bypassing the Bosphorus Strait. Thessaloniki and Kavala will become ports of exit for all products from South-Eastern Europe. And Alexandroupolis will emerge as a transport and infrastructure hub, as well as an energy hub of the wider region stressed Mr. Karamanlis.
Beyod the Sea2Sea Project the two sides also discussed road freight transport and cross-border crossings.
“Project of strategic importance”
For his part, Mr. Alexiev noted that the railway axis Thessaloniki – Kavala – Alexandroupoli – Burgas – Varna – Ruse is a project of strategic importance that will provide an opportunity to improve transport links and expand economic potential, helping to develop the connectivity of the entire region. The corridor will be an alternative land connection route between the Aegean – Black Sea and the Danube, facilitating interconnection, but also developing the TEN-T transport network.
“Attractive opportunity for investors”
“This alternative route could be an extremely attractive opportunity for investors, but also for cargo operators. It is a corridor with capacity capable and sufficient to meet future demand, while there is the potential to attract additional freight traffic. In all of this, we should point out that this corridor is an attractive alternative to the existing routes, both in terms of cost reduction and travel time”, he concluded.
