Nikoloski: Serbia's government change should not halt joint infrastructure projects
Deputy PM Aleksandar Nikoloski says Corridor 10 works, EU grants and a contractor are in place and a joint Tabanovce rail crossing should open by end of next year.
Aleksandar Nikoloski, North Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, said he does not expect the recent change of government in Serbia — following the victory of the Student List in the early parliamentary elections — to derail joint rail and other infrastructure projects between Skopje and Belgrade.
Projects beyond single mandates
At a joint press conference with Montenegro's Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Filip Ivanović, who is visiting Skopje, Nikoloski highlighted Corridor 10 as a strategic axis for regional connectivity and reiterated plans for a joint railway border crossing at Tabanovce and a high-speed line along the corridor.
"There is a large grant component that we are using through the European Union's support mechanism for the Western Balkans; it is a direct grant from the European Union. A contractor has been selected, that is the Macedonian company 'Granit', so the pace of work follows what was agreed in the contract and I expect, if everything goes well, that by the end of next year that joint railway border crossing will be completed and then put into operation," Nikoloski said.
He added that a one-stop system for rail border formalities is expected to be operational within two years, and that he sees no reason why North Macedonia and Serbia would not have a joint railway crossing enabling faster transit, especially for freight trains.
On the planned high-speed rail, Nikoloski described it as another strategic undertaking and pointed to recent regional developments as evidence that government changes do not necessarily stop large projects — noting the start of the fast train on the Belgrade–Budapest–Vienna line, scheduled to begin on 13 December.
Filip Ivanović said it is still early to judge the first moves of the new authorities in Serbia and that the election winners should be given time to form institutions and the executive branch and to present a policy plan they intend to implement.
"Montenegro and Serbia share many ties beyond infrastructure, economy and trade. What we want is to establish the best possible relations between our two states," Ivanović added, stressing that Montenegro will continue work on its road connections toward Serbia and pursue projects that serve mutual interest.
Photo: Printskrin
