Bulgaria, Qatar Optimistic on Building Major Motorway

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has said that he remains optimistic on the construction of the Ruse-Svilengrad motorway, despite Turkey's decision to exit the project.

Plevneliev's statement came after he met with the ruling Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in New York.

The Bulgarian President said he expected the Bulgarian-Qatari project company to be launched soon and that it will prove the project's efficiency.

On Monday, Bulgarian Regional Development Minister Lilyana Pavlova revealed that Turkey has decided to exit the project for the construction of a major highway running from Romania to Turkey and Greece via Bulgaria (aka the Ruse-Svilengrad Road).

Bulgaria, Turkey and Qatar committed themselves to constructing the projected Ruse-Svilengrad motorway at the end of May, with Bulgaria and Qatar now remaining in the project.

The Ruse-Svilengrad road is expected to allow a faster connection of the Bosphorus Strait with the Danube Bridge through Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 9.

Bulgaria is working towards attracting Qatari investments in its agriculture, Plevneliev also told reporters after meeting with the Emir of Qatar.