Ilinden Border Checkpoint Opening By the End of October

By the end of October Ilinden border checkpoint will be opened, as it was announced at the today’s visit of the minister of regional development and public works Asen Gagauzov on the place. The building of the border checkpoint “Ilinden - Exohy” is under implementation of an agreement between the two governments of Bulgaria and Greece from 1995 for opening of three new border checkpoints. Building of an access road, border checkpoint and a tunnel is in the frames of the project. The financing is under Phare program – Trans-border cooperation with Greece and from the state budget. The building of the access road Goce Delchev – Drama to the new border checkpoint covers construction-assembling works of 12 km new road, including cross-roads and 10 large facilities – bridges, subways, overpasses, drain-pipes, etc. The total amount of the construction works sums up to over EUR 9 mln. ensured by Phare program. The surface of the construction platform on which the Ilinden border checkpoint is placed is about 34 000 m2. Buildings for customs office, border police, veterinary control, road taxes and permissions are built on the checkpoint area. The cost of the building project is almost EUR 5 mln and the financing is under Phare program. The construction of the access road finished in 2003 and of the border checkpoint – in 2002. The building of the border tunnel is a result of further researches by ecologists authorized by the European Commission for to be preserved the population of brown bears. The total length of the tunnel is 447 m of which the Bulgarian part is 147 m and the length of the access road to the tunnel from Ilinden border checkpoint is 420 m. The total amount of the project is over EUR 4 mln as it is being co-financed by the Phare program and the state budget. Minister Gagauzov examined the process of the construction works on the road Simitli – Razlog. The project is financed by Phare program and the state budget. Public Relations and International Activities Directorate