There is complete clarity regarding the technological steps to be taken in the development of the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline

There is complete clarity regarding the technological steps to be taken in the development of the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, and it is also clear that a new arrangement is to be sought, i.e., project finance, said Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Valentin Tserovski on his return from a visit to Athens as a member of the official delegation led by President Purvanov (5–7 November 2003). Valentin Tserovski had talks about the oil pipeline with Apostolos-Athanasios Tsohadzopulos, Development Minister of Greece. We have no differences with Greece; we are members of the same team now and the project can be given the go-ahead, said Mr. Tserovski and added that oil producers in Kazakhstan and Russia had shown interest in the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis project. During his meeting with Mrs. Vasiliki Papandreou, the Greek Minister of the Environment and Public Works, Mr. Tserovski reached an agreement on the establishment of a joint working group to review existing cross-border cooperation projects and propose new ones for funding in the framework of EU programmes. The talks with Mrs. Papandreou also focused on the development of Trans-European Corridor 4 from the second bridge on the river Danube to the Koulata checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Greek border. The meeting with the civil engineering consultants Salfo & Associates and major construction companies revealed a considerable interest on the part of Greek and US developers in the preparation of feasibility studies for the northern section of the Corridor in the framework of a concession arrangement and a possible joint venture with the Bulgarian Avtomagistrali. In this regard, Mr. Tserovski emphasised the need for a further study of the proposed Petrohan road tunnel and the connecting roads between Corridor 4 and the ports of Lom and Thessalonica. A follow-up working meeting was set for early December in Bulgaria to include an on-site examination of the route and a review of project documentation. Public Relations and International Cooperation Directorate