The memorandum for the construction of European transport Corridor VIII is expected to be signed today in Bari, Italy. The Bulgarian side will be represented by Transport Minister Plamen Petrov. Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Petkov is also on the Bulgarian delegation. The project was temporarily sidetracked due to disagreements between Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania and Greece over the route of the facility. At a meeting in Sofia on May 31 the transport ministers of Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria declared in a protocol their political will to build the Sofia-Skopje-Tirana stretch of Corridor VIII. The signing of the document is expected to improve the economic and infrastructure development of the Balkan states. Corridor VIII construction and its importance to both Bulgaria and Macedonia was a highlight during the meeting of Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg and Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski September 5. A day earlier the Macedonian government decided to sign the memorandum of understanding on development and building of Corridor VIII.