site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian, Greek Ministers Attend Symbolic Opening of Rudozem-Xanthi Border Crossing

Outgoing Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev and outgoing Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov, Deputy Regional Development Minister Dora Yankova, Smolyan Regional Governor Zahari Sirakov, mayors of municipalities in the Smolyan region, and local residents attended here on Tuesday a symbolic opening of the Rudozem–Xanthi border crossing. Greece’s Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Dimas, also arrived at the site of the non-operational checkpoint.

Traffic along the Rudozem–Xanthi road is not yet fully open. Police patrols at the beginning of the route on Greek territory are stopping vehicles, explaining that traffic will be allowed later in the day after the completion of the official opening ceremony of the road section from the border to the village of Dimari, which lies on Greek territory.

“This is the final step in a long and very important process for both Bulgaria and Greece, one that completes connectivity between our countries,” Georgiev told journalists. According to him, the opening is linked to economic prosperity, transport connectivity, people-to-people contacts, cultural exchange and tourism, and ultimately to greater well-being for both Bulgaria and Greece. Thanks to the current government, this process is now being completed, the outgoing Foreign Minister added.

"The opening of the Rudozem-Xanthi road is an important first step," said Greek Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Dimas. “The excellent cooperation we have had over the past year is extremely important to us, and our commitments to improving infrastructure and transport between the two countries continue,” Dimas said. He added that Greece is committed to repairing the road to Xanthi in order to improve communications between the two countries.

The construction of a border crossing near Rudozem was agreed under a Bulgarian–Greek bilateral agreement in the 1990s. The opening of the cross-border road was delayed for decades, with the most recent obstacles related to delays in construction on the Greek side. The completion of the section between Dimari and the border removes the final barrier to putting the road into operation. Free passage without border controls through the Rudozem–Xanthi crossing will only become possible after the opening of the Dimari–border section. At this stage, traffic is expected to be limited to vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tonnes.

The opening of the Rudozem–Xanthi road is expected to stimulate economic development in the Smolyan region by boosting tourism and business activity on both sides of the border, representatives of the regional and municipal authorities said.