Balgarianovinite.com 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. Bulgarian, Greek Ministers Attend Symbolic Opening of Rudozem-Xanthi Border Crossing 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-01-20 12:54:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law