The building of the Sofia-Skopje railway topped the agenda of the meeting between Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passi and Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski in Athens on Friday.
Passi was in the Greek capital for the Economist Group’s Sixth Government Roundtable on “The New Agenda for Global Recovery: The New Alliance and its Significance”.
The Bulgarian foreign minister acquainted the Macedonian prime minister with the progress made by Bulgaria on the project in studying the possibilities for its financing. Several important meetings have recently been held with different banks on the issue.
Passi said he received a letter from NATO Secretary General George Robertson expressing approval of the project. Later over the phone the two discussed the possibilities for seeking support, above all financial, for the construction of the railway.
“This is a long-term project. NATO does not deal directly with investment, which is not of direct military significance,” Passi said after his meeting with Georgievski. “This is not NATO’s role, but what the Alliance can do and has already started doing through Lord Robertson is stress the importance of this project for the recovery of the region.”
Later in the day, in his statement at The Economist Group Conference, Passi said that globalisation benefits all states but those that are better integrated are the ones to benefit the most. According to him, regional cooperation is neither the opposite nor the substitute of globalisation. It is a continuation and expression of support of European and Euro-Atlantic policies.
Passi said that, ironically, cooperation in the Balkans started in the most sensitive area – military cooperation. As a NATO and EU membership candidate, Bulgaria actively and resolutely supported and contributeed to promoting European and Euro-Atlantic policies in security and defence, Passi said.
Regional forms of cooperation were of enormous potential and may greatly contribute to the further building of the new structure of Europe, the Bulgarian foreign minister told the conference. According to him, stability and prosperity in southeastern Europe cannot be achieved by temporary measures to solve crises but by a general strategy for the development of the region.
Passi stressed first of all the need to build an all-Balkan infrastructure as an integral part of the all-European infrastructure. Investment into Balkan infrastructure was investment into Balkan security, which would make superfluous the billion-dollar peacekeeping missions in the region, he said.
Passi illustrated his speech by saying that the linking of Sofia and Skopje by railway would cost $200 million. He also pointed to the fact that there was only one bridge over the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania and only four border crossings along Bulgaria’s 525km long border with its two southern neighbours.
“We really need Balkan integration or ‘Balkan globalisation’,” Passi said. This process will help develop the economic and geo strategic potential of the Balkan region. He stressed Bulgaria’s political will to work with its neighbours in achieving these goals.
The sixth government roundtable organised by The Economist group focused on stronger regional cooperation to offset negative global economic developments, as well as on the popularisation of security and stability in the region through encouragement of dialogue and constructive cooperation.
The conference was attended by the prime ministers of Albania – Pandeli Majko, Macedonia – Ljubco Georgievski, and Romania – Adrian Nastase, by former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, the foreign ministers of Greece – Georgios Papandreou and Turkey – Ismail Cem, NATO Secretary Robertson, the High Representative for the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, and other high-profile politicians.
Passi was in the Greek capital for the Economist Group’s Sixth Government Roundtable on “The New Agenda for Global Recovery: The New Alliance and its Significance”.
The Bulgarian foreign minister acquainted the Macedonian prime minister with the progress made by Bulgaria on the project in studying the possibilities for its financing. Several important meetings have recently been held with different banks on the issue.
Passi said he received a letter from NATO Secretary General George Robertson expressing approval of the project. Later over the phone the two discussed the possibilities for seeking support, above all financial, for the construction of the railway.
“This is a long-term project. NATO does not deal directly with investment, which is not of direct military significance,” Passi said after his meeting with Georgievski. “This is not NATO’s role, but what the Alliance can do and has already started doing through Lord Robertson is stress the importance of this project for the recovery of the region.”
Later in the day, in his statement at The Economist Group Conference, Passi said that globalisation benefits all states but those that are better integrated are the ones to benefit the most. According to him, regional cooperation is neither the opposite nor the substitute of globalisation. It is a continuation and expression of support of European and Euro-Atlantic policies.
Passi said that, ironically, cooperation in the Balkans started in the most sensitive area – military cooperation. As a NATO and EU membership candidate, Bulgaria actively and resolutely supported and contributeed to promoting European and Euro-Atlantic policies in security and defence, Passi said.
Regional forms of cooperation were of enormous potential and may greatly contribute to the further building of the new structure of Europe, the Bulgarian foreign minister told the conference. According to him, stability and prosperity in southeastern Europe cannot be achieved by temporary measures to solve crises but by a general strategy for the development of the region.
Passi stressed first of all the need to build an all-Balkan infrastructure as an integral part of the all-European infrastructure. Investment into Balkan infrastructure was investment into Balkan security, which would make superfluous the billion-dollar peacekeeping missions in the region, he said.
Passi illustrated his speech by saying that the linking of Sofia and Skopje by railway would cost $200 million. He also pointed to the fact that there was only one bridge over the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania and only four border crossings along Bulgaria’s 525km long border with its two southern neighbours.
“We really need Balkan integration or ‘Balkan globalisation’,” Passi said. This process will help develop the economic and geo strategic potential of the Balkan region. He stressed Bulgaria’s political will to work with its neighbours in achieving these goals.
The sixth government roundtable organised by The Economist group focused on stronger regional cooperation to offset negative global economic developments, as well as on the popularisation of security and stability in the region through encouragement of dialogue and constructive cooperation.
The conference was attended by the prime ministers of Albania – Pandeli Majko, Macedonia – Ljubco Georgievski, and Romania – Adrian Nastase, by former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, the foreign ministers of Greece – Georgios Papandreou and Turkey – Ismail Cem, NATO Secretary Robertson, the High Representative for the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, and other high-profile politicians.
