On September 26, Serbian prime minister Zoran Zivkovic paid his first official visit to Bulgaria since he took office after former prime minister Zoran Djindjic was assassinated in March this year.
The Serb delegation held a number of high-ranking meetings while in Sofia and tagged a number of joint initiatives in the area of economic co-operation.
Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg and his Serbian counterpart signed a joint declaration aiming to step up the construction of the Sofia-Nis highway, which is part of transport corridor No 10 connecting Central Europe and Asia.
Saxe-Coburg said the highway had immense potential, since a highway connection with Europe and Istanbul would facilitate trade with Bulgaria's neighbours. Yet at this stage it was all a matter of finding resources, he said.
Zivkovic said that the investors of the US Behtel concern were expected to come up with an evaluation as to the construction of the Serbian part of the highway, which is 90 kilometres in length, as early as October 15.
Serbian transport minister Marija Raseta-Vukosavljevic, who was also in the delegation visiting Sofia, said she hoped the project might be completed within three years. This will make the road journey from Sofia to Vienna two hours shorter. The work on the segment of the highway connecting Sofia and Nis is to start next year.
The segment is about 160 km long and it is estimated will cost between 440 million and 650 million euro. The road goes through a number of impoverished regions, and it is hoped that construction works will breathe life into them.
Deputy Prime Minister Lidia Shuleva and Serbian trade and tourism minister Slobodan Milosavljevic discussed the forthcoming signature of an agreement on the establishment of a free trade zone as a precondition to liberalise trade between the two neighbouring countries. Milosavljevic and Shuleva committed to sign the agreement by the end of this year.
The agreement was initiated by the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe. Bulgaria, Serbia-Monte-negro and Romania are expected to join the free trade zone first. The initiative has recently topped bilateral agendas since the other free trade zone in Eastern Europe - CEFTA, is to close down in the course of the EU enlargement process.
Trade between Bulgaria and Serbia-Montenegro dropped to $190 million in 2002, after in 2001 it was $233 million. Bulgarian exports account for most of the turnover. In 2002, Bulgaria expor-ted goods to the tune of $173.2 million, while imports amounted to $23.8 million. Trade for the first half of this year was $93 million.
The Serb delegation held a number of high-ranking meetings while in Sofia and tagged a number of joint initiatives in the area of economic co-operation.
Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg and his Serbian counterpart signed a joint declaration aiming to step up the construction of the Sofia-Nis highway, which is part of transport corridor No 10 connecting Central Europe and Asia.
Saxe-Coburg said the highway had immense potential, since a highway connection with Europe and Istanbul would facilitate trade with Bulgaria's neighbours. Yet at this stage it was all a matter of finding resources, he said.
Zivkovic said that the investors of the US Behtel concern were expected to come up with an evaluation as to the construction of the Serbian part of the highway, which is 90 kilometres in length, as early as October 15.
Serbian transport minister Marija Raseta-Vukosavljevic, who was also in the delegation visiting Sofia, said she hoped the project might be completed within three years. This will make the road journey from Sofia to Vienna two hours shorter. The work on the segment of the highway connecting Sofia and Nis is to start next year.
The segment is about 160 km long and it is estimated will cost between 440 million and 650 million euro. The road goes through a number of impoverished regions, and it is hoped that construction works will breathe life into them.
Deputy Prime Minister Lidia Shuleva and Serbian trade and tourism minister Slobodan Milosavljevic discussed the forthcoming signature of an agreement on the establishment of a free trade zone as a precondition to liberalise trade between the two neighbouring countries. Milosavljevic and Shuleva committed to sign the agreement by the end of this year.
The agreement was initiated by the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe. Bulgaria, Serbia-Monte-negro and Romania are expected to join the free trade zone first. The initiative has recently topped bilateral agendas since the other free trade zone in Eastern Europe - CEFTA, is to close down in the course of the EU enlargement process.
Trade between Bulgaria and Serbia-Montenegro dropped to $190 million in 2002, after in 2001 it was $233 million. Bulgarian exports account for most of the turnover. In 2002, Bulgaria expor-ted goods to the tune of $173.2 million, while imports amounted to $23.8 million. Trade for the first half of this year was $93 million.
