SOFIA/SMOLYAN – The border crossing connecting the Bulgarian town of Rudozem with the Greek town of Xanthi has been officially opened.
The “Rudozem – Xanthi” crossing is financed with funds from the European Union and is a strategic project for connectivity between Bulgaria and Greece – part of the long-term vision for opening new transport corridors through the Rhodope Mountains, the Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works announced. The checkpoint is also included in the Memorandum on enhanced cross-border cooperation between Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, signed in early December in Brusselswhich outlines the general framework for the development of strategic infrastructure between the three countries.
The opening of the road section from Dimario to the border with Bulgaria at Rudozem is the final step in a lengthy and very important process for the regions on both the Bulgarian and Greek sideswhich completes the connectivity between our countries, commented the Bulgarian caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev at the ceremony. According to him, this will contribute to strengthening economic cooperation, improving transport connectivity and promoting contacts between people on both sides of the border. He emphasized that the implementation of the project creates conditions for the development of tourism, cultural exchange and the regional economy, and in the long term will contribute to the prosperity of both Bulgaria and Greece.
The opening of the “Rudozem – Xanthi” crossing fulfills a 30-year dream of the people on both sides of the bordercommented at the ceremony the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and caretaker Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov.
The Greek Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Dimaswho also attended the opening, stated that the Greek side is committed to repairing the road to Xanthi in order to ensure better communications between the two countries.
At the meeting of the Council of Ministers, the Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov also emphasized the importance of opening the border crossing for good-neighborly relations, cross-border cooperation, the functioning of the Schengen area and the economic development of the Bulgarian regions.
The newly opened road section from Dimario to the border with Bulgaria at Rudozem is located on the territory of the Hellenic Republic and is part of Vertical Axis 70 to the “Egnatia Odos” motorway. It represents the final infrastructure link on the Greek side to the “Rudozem – Xanthi” border crossing and is of key importance for its full-fledged functioning as a strategic point for regional connectivity, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out.
The construction of a border checkpoint at Rudozem was agreed in a Bulgarian-Greek agreement in the 1990s, but the opening of the road was postponed for decades. The groundbreaking ceremony for the seventh border checkpoint between Bulgaria and Greece took place in January 2020. On the Bulgarian side, the border checkpoint was completed in 2021, and on the Greek side – by the end of 2024, but the opening was postponed several times due to the construction of adjacent infrastructure on Greek territory, the Bulgarian “Border Police” reported. (20–21.01.2025)
