English
Implementation of the strategic partnership treaty with the United Kingdom begins next week, said Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski in a Telm TV interview.
By next Tuesday we will have formed a coordinative body for implementation fo the agreement. I expect that we are ready with the initial project – the fast railroad line between Tabanovce and Gevgelija, by Tuesday. The Finance Ministry will begin the process of providing the funding. We assure the public that we will choose the most favorable option for funding of the projects, Nikoloski said, adding that the projects will be presented in a competitive manner, and if other countries or institutions offer better terms than the UK institutions, they will get the deal.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that the selection of the companies who will work on the projects will be done in a transparent way, with open bids. In comparison with other countries that are implementing major infrastructure projects with UK assistance, such as Serbia and Turkey, Nikoloski said that Macedonia also has a high level political agreement for the contract. Nikoloski said that there is no requirement that a certain share of workers comes from abroad, and that it is possible that all workers that are hired are Macedonians. Up to 30 percent of the materials that are going to be used in the construction will be from the United Kingdom, which, Nikoloski said, is acceptable to Macedonia, since we don’t produce many of the high tech systems and materials that will be needed.
