Mickoski: Our potential is through three pan -European corridors to connect with Europe and the world

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski thinks it is absolutely transparent the way the news related to the strategic partnership with the UK is published. He noted today in response to a journalist question about this agreement and investments in Macedonian Railways that he will never allow the European flag laws to be adopted in Parliament as a law on the construction of Corridor 8 and 10D highways by the Bechtel and Enka consortium.

– We will never allow ourselves to pass laws with the European flag, such as the changes to the Criminal Code, when a large number of potential political suspects or in the procedure further convicted people were amnestied including a whole set, which was seven years old. You know how, I should not remind you of what kind of crime it was, from the first day they came to the last day, when they signed a suspicious decision of 250 million euros, which practically increased the budget for preparation of Corridor 8 and 10D projects, so we at a government session.

He added that as a government they are transparent and work in the interest of the citizens, and as he said it is strategically very important as a state, how we position ourselves.

– Our potential is to develop, to be a state through three pan -European corridors, which will be linked to Europe and the world. These are the 8 and 10D Corridors, which are intersecting on the territory of our country, and with the segment that we plan to do in the section of Strumica, under Belasica Mountain, ie the foot of Belasica Mountain and Corridor 11, we will practically be connected to all regional ports. In this regard is the construction and modernization of the railway, which is part of Corridor 10 – said Mickoski.

Prime Minister Mickoski added that there are a lot of feasibility studies and projects and no one should have a dilemma.

– Surely as an engineer I would not allow us to enter an adventure that will not have a positive end, of course, calculated the internal rate of return or economists call the IRR and we expect a ten -time increase in Macedonian railroads over the years, when it reaches the maximum peak, and it is when it is.

Regarding the way of borrowing, the Ministry of Finance, upon a prior request to Macedonian Railways, will address about twenty financial institutions around the world and will make a so -called mini tender.

– That institution that will undergo the best conditions for financing this project, we will accept that institution and with that institution we will sign an agreement, which will be part of this Government with a Government Agreement on Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Furthermore, when the project works, because the project after these Fidig procedures imply, whether we have a project project basic, revised or projected in and will be built, if we have a finished project and we need to perform it then it is a FIDIG procedure, and if we do not have such a project, we have only a feasibility study. Then the contractor will have to project it and while projecting it is performed – underlined Mickoski.

He explained that the principle is so and in that direction the state has hired a renowned British company, which will be a consultant throughout this process, which is an expert according to the Fidig rules, and this way of performing projects that are not uncommon and are being built around the world.

– At the end of the day, what do we get? We get at least a dessert increase in the income of Macedonian Railways and Infrastructure. We get a significant geostrategic site, due to Corridor 10, which is very important and at the same time part of the money, which was intended for modernization of Corridor 10, and part of the growth plan, we repaid for modernization of part of Corridor 8, ie electrification and modernization of the railway, which will be connected to Skopje.

Prime Minister Mickoski noted that as an engineer I will never allow illogical things, as « second, as a man-pedagogue, who came out of this institution will be nothing to the detriment of Macedonian citizens and I am strongly convinced that the future of Macedonia and the Macedonian citizens is in that direction.

Asked if the fiscal council’s projection received how much public debt would be in terms of borrowing, Mickoski replied that it had not yet received it.

« No, I haven’t got it yet, but I’ll look at it, of course, » Prime Minister Mickoski said.