Corridor VIII is an economic, security and European necessity, Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ferit Hoxha said Thursday at the International Ministerial Conference on Corridor VIII in Sofia.
He said geography becomes a strategic asset only when countries succeed in building connections with one another. Corridors are not merely roads and transport routes, but determine which countries are connected, how they trade and which broader space they belong to, he added.
Hoxha noted that Corridor VIII links the Black Sea, through Varna, Sofia, Skopje and Tirana, with Italy. He highlighted three main dimensions of the project.
The first is economic. The Western Balkans cannot be competitive without better connectivity, Hoxha said, adding that Corridor VIII would help lower costs, speed up transit, attract investment and create jobs.
He pointed to construction of the Tirana-Durres-Mother Teresa Airport railway as an example that Corridor VIII is no longer merely a line on a map but is becoming a concrete infrastructure project.
The second dimension is European. Corridor VIII is part of the extension of the Trans-European Transport Network to the Western Balkans, Hoxha said. European integration becomes tangible for citizens when journeys are shorter, borders easier to cross and businesses can reach European markets in hours rather than days, he added.
The third dimension is security. “In today’s world, infrastructure is also geopolitics,” Hoxha said, noting that energy, transport and digital connections determine how resilient and independent countries are.
A secure European corridor linking countries in the region and NATO allies strengthens Europe’s security, he said.
Hoxha stressed that Corridor VIII would be completed only if all countries fulfilled their commitments. Political agreements must be translated into financing, procurement and the timely implementation of individual sections, he said.
“Delays cost us competitiveness, investment and trust,” Hoxha said. Albania is committed to completing its sections and will work with neighbouring countries on cross-border connections, he added.
Albania expects the same determination from its European partners, including faster decisions, predictable financing and a clear commitment to the entire corridor, he said.
“Corridor VIII was once a dream drawn on paper. Today, it is a commitment,” Hoxha said.
Corridor VIII Is Economic, Security and European Necessity, Albanian Foreign Minister Says THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-08 13:50:08
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