''Only two bridges connect Bulgaria and Romania along our 475-kilometer shared river border – this is a transport shortfall and a new 'Iron Curtain' within the European Union'', said Bulgaria’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov during a trilateral meeting with Greek Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Konstantinos Kyranakis, and Romania’s State Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Horatiu Cosma, the Ministry of Transport's press office reported.

''If all traffic is concentrated at a single point – in this case, Ruse-Giurgiu – we lose all capacity when congestion occurs along the north-south corridor. This is not a sustainable transport architecture. We urgently need at least one more crossing further east, for example, a bridge between Silistra and Călărași”, noted Grozdan Karadjov. He called for accelerated agreements between the three countries for the construction of new bridges. ''We need to connect Bucharest with Athens and Alexandroupolis with Odessa – this is the joint task of our three countries'', Minister Karadjov added.

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Konstantinos Kyranakis expressed support for the initiative, underlining the importance of concrete action in the short term. Horatiu Cosma pointed out that the Alexandroupolis–Ruse–Giurgiu–Moldova corridor is of strategic importance for Bucharest. ''The key issue is funding'', said Horatiu Cosma.

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photo: mtc.government.bg