The restoration of the railway connection between Bulgaria and Ukraine opens new opportunities for freight transport and for the expansion of logistical routes in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. This was the main topic of the meeting between the Minister of Transport and Communications Korman Ismailov and the Ambassador of Ukraine to our country, H.E. Olesya Ilashchuk.
"BDZ is ready to carry out freight transport between Bulgaria and Ukraine, including transit through Romania," Minister Ismailov stated. He specified that the concrete steps will be discussed at a subsequent meeting of deputy ministers from the three countries.
"The transformation of logistical and transport corridors makes cooperation between Bulgaria and Ukraine even more important," the Minister emphasized, noting that the development of new routes will strengthen the links between the two regions and enhance transport resilience across all of Europe.
The Minister added: "The future of the region lies in its full integration into the European Union. This also applies to Ukraine, which is also on the path toward its inclusion."
He pointed out that the projects for transport connectivity between the Black and Aegean Seas, enshrined in the memorandum signed between Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania, strengthen not only regional security but also the resilience of all of Europe. Ambassador Olesya Ilashchuk noted that Ukraine supports the initiative and sees great potential in it for her country. "Bulgaria's experience in negotiations with the European Union is very valuable to us. We hope for assistance in preparing for the fulfillment of the criteria in the pre-accession process," she said.
Minister Ismailov stated that Bulgaria will continue to provide support to Ukraine for more efficient transport links and the development of logistical routes.
Regarding numerous reports from Bulgarian carriers, the Minister insisted that a solution be found for the registration in the electronic E-CHERHA system of Bulgarian buses that are not located on Ukrainian territory. Following the 2024 introduction of the platform for reserving time slots for crossing Ukraine's border control checkpoints, Bulgarian companies have reported that the specifics of the system hinder passenger transport operations. Another issue raised at the meeting was the increased number of violations on Bulgarian roads by Ukrainian vehicles.
For her part, Ambassador Ilashchuk pointed out that owners of Ukrainian vehicles have problems with technical inspections on Bulgarian territory.