Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Kiril Petkov is visiting Romania on Friday to sign an agreement for a new border crossing across the Danube designed to ease congestion on one of southeast Europe’s main north-south arteries.
The prime minister, who is traveling with several ministers, will meet Romania’s prime minister, Nicolae Ciuca and President Klaus Iohannis during his one-day visit.
The officials will likely discuss the war in Ukraine and the security situation although that was not on the official agenda.
The purpose of the visit is to sign an agreement for a ferry border crossing between Giurgiu and Ruse.
It will be a second border crossing on the busy border, a main trade and tourist route for traffic to and from Bulgaria and Greece. News.ro reported.
The European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, will join the prime ministers and their teams for the signing.
The current border crossing is the Soviet-designed ‘Friendship Bridge’ that was opened in 1954. Since the fall of communism in 1989, the bridge is normally referred to as the „Danube Bridge”.
The new border crossing will be by ferry and an alternative route and expected to be used by tourists who vacation in Bulgaria and Greece.
The actual agreement will be signed at 13.00.
The commissioner will discuss upgrading the transport infrastructure in the region and also about improving the navigability along the Danube which forms the majority of the border between the neighbors.
President Klaus Iohannis will later receive the Bulgarian prime minister.
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