Ukraine and Bulgaria agree on priorities for transport cooperation

A meeting was held in Kyiv between Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development, and Korman Ismailov, Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Bulgaria. The parties discussed key issues of cooperation in the transport sector.

One of the central issues was the launch of passenger rail service between Ukraine and Bulgaria via Romania. The plan is to conduct a test run of the route this summer in a trilateral format.

“Launching rail service connecting Ukraine and Bulgaria is not only about convenience for people but also about strengthening our integration with the European transport network. We see real demand for this route and are committed, together with our Bulgarian and Romanian partners, to doing everything possible to ensure it begins operating in test mode this summer,” noted Oleksii Kuleba.

The Deputy Prime Minister also emphasized the need to develop a competitive pricing proposal, particularly through the use of the PSO (public service obligations) mechanism.

The meeting also covered the development of strategic transport corridors, the Danube cluster, and road infrastructure. The parties agreed on further coordination in the field of road transport and on holding a meeting of the joint Ukrainian-Bulgarian Road Transport Commission.

In addition, the parties exchanged views on the digitalization of transport services, in particular, this includes an electronic queue system at the border, as well as cooperation on maritime safety in the Black Sea. The parties expressed their intention to step up work on an intergovernmental agreement on maritime search and rescue.

Following the meeting, the parties confirmed their readiness for further practical cooperation and the implementation of the agreements reached.