The railway to Bulgaria became a target for mutual accusations between VMRO - DPMNE and SDSM. This morning, both parties "bombarded" each other with press releases and letters. But from the accusations, the citizens have nothing, except for two unsuccessful attempts and 200 million euros spent. In the first attempt since 1994 to build a railway to Bulgaria, 120 million dollars were spent. In the second attempt, which started in 2014, 81,3 million euros were spent for the first and second phases, which includes the route from Kumanovo to Kriva Palanka, where there are partially completed works. For the third phase, a loan of 350 million euros has already been approved and a grant of 150 million euros has been received.

Brane Petrushevski, MP of VMRO-DPMNE in the Parliament, this morning called the Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate how we could have built a railway where one kilometer costs 23 million euros.

- Did the government of SDS and DUI pump up the price and who was supposed to be part of the railway project to Bulgaria that ends in an endless tunnel? Did SDS and DUI intend to pump hundreds of millions of euros from the railway to Bulgaria through subcontractors, regardless of the fact that it may not be able to function for decades. Why did SDS, when they knew that it could not work, put the state under obligations? Did the SDS have only one motive, and that is to spend the money from the EBRD and from the budget, regardless of whether the project will be worthwhile in the end or not? - Petrushevski asked these questions publicly.

SDSM immediately responded:

"First they received a yellow card from the EU, who are financing it, and then they demonstrated complete incoordination in the Government. The Minister of Finance said a few days ago that the money for the railway to Bulgaria cannot be repurposed, but yesterday VMRO-DPMNE again requested that those funds go to the railway to Greece. Who is playing whom here? The Hungarian representative in the Government of Macedonia, Aleksandar Nikolovski, says that he will request the conversion of the funds, his colleague Mutsunski tells him that he cannot. Is there a captain on board? After realizing that they cannot repurpose the money, and even more so that the project is under the full supervision and control of the EU, VMRO-DPMNE wants to show some crime and wasted money. We tell them to freely investigate the case instead of sending useless announcements", SDSM replied.

The railway was built by all governments until now. The first attempt started back in 1994, when Branko Crvenkovski was the prime minister, and was pushed until 2004. In 2014, when Nikola Gruevski was prime minister, foundations were laid again.

Shocking claim of the director of Railways: The railway to Bulgaria is collapsing and collapsing, the reinforcement seems to be made of drinking juice pipes

The current Government has put an end to the project, judging that it will not be of use to us. And the Minister of Transport and Communications Aleksandar Nikolovski and the Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski announced that they will request the conversion of the approved loan of 350 million euros, 175 million each from the EBRD and the EIB, so that part of the money would be used for the railway to Greece.
At the press briefing, the Minister of Finance was decisive that a dedicated loan cannot be repurposed, but only "they can be asked to reserve the money, and we can apply and be approved for such an amount".

Dimitrieska-Kochoska: Loans for the railway cannot be repurposed