Konjufca calls for Kosovo’s full inclusion in Corridor VIII

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Glauk Konjufca has called for Kosovo’s full inclusion in Corridor 8.

During the International Conference on Corridor 8 in Sofia, he emphasised that regional connectivity is not only an economic imperative, but also a strategic pillar of security.

“I underlined the importance of Kosovo’s full inclusion in this network. Our investments in Railway Line 10 and the planned Pristina-Durrës railway will strengthen regional connectivity, diversify transport routes and reinforce the Euro-Atlantic security architecture of the Western Balkans. A stable and interconnected Western Balkans requires unhindered cooperation and the full inclusion of Kosovo,” Konjufca wrote on X.

He also raised concerns about Serbia’s continued obstruction of electricity exchanges with Kosovo, saying that this undermines regional energy security and requires determined European action to ensure compliance with existing obligations.

Corridor 8 is a European project. It is one of the main transport corridors connecting the Balkans along an east-west route and aims to provide a transport link between the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea, passing through Italy, Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria.

The project includes the construction and modernisation of road and railway infrastructure.

In Bulgaria, the Corridor 8 route connects the Gyueshevo area with Pernik, Sofia and Plovdiv, before continuing towards Burgas and Varna.

The railway link between Bulgaria and North Macedonia via Gyueshevo and Kriva Palanka is among the key missing segments to complete the corridor.

Corridor VIII is part of the European TEN-T transport network and is considered a strategic link for the development of trade, mobility and interconnection in South-Eastern Europe.

Its completion is expected to facilitate the movement of people and goods between the Adriatic Sea, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, and to strengthen transport integration in the region, as Telegrafi reports.