We intend to have Macedonia as a crossroad of road, energy and railway infrastructure in the region, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski after his meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic in Skopje.

The geographic location of our country is very important in this part of Europe. It will make us a priority in the eyes of the larger countries, said Mickoski, as Macedonia is preparing to build a new, fast railroad line connecting it with Serbia and Greece, as part of a larger north-west Balkan corridor.

As one of the priorities, Mickoski cited the gas pipeline connecting Macedonia to Greece, where EBRD and EIB are expected to provide funding. “The capacity of this line is 12 billion cubic meters of gas, and we use only 500 million. The goal is that the investment allows us to become a transit state and to be an additional option for supplying Central Europe”, added Mickoski. He said that Macedonia is preparing plans for the winter, when Ukraine is expected to begin drawing gas supplies from Europe, which can cause shortages in the Balkans.

According to Vucevic, Serbia is preparing to continue its fast railroad line to Nis and Vranje, as it waits for Hungary to complete the line from Budapest to the border with Serbia in three years. “That is why we want to officially hear the message from Skopje about this Corridor 10, so that we can continue it to the border with Macedonia. We received assurances from their Government that that is also their goal”, Prime Minister Vucevic said. A railroad line through the difficult, rugged terrain between Vranje and the border with Macedonia can be built in 4 to 5 years, Vucevic added.

Prime Minister Mickoski said that he views Greece, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia as potential supporters of this crucial corridor, that will open a new supply route to Central Europe.