After reports emerged this week from Bulgarian media stating that Bulgaria is "fully ready to sign an agreement with North Macedonia and start construction on a cross-border railway tunnel along Corridor 8," the Ministry of Transport in North Macedonia quickly responded by accusing Bulgaria of distorting facts regarding the project.

This reaction follows statements made by Bulgarian Transport Minister, Grozdan Karadzhov, who explained that "Corridor 8 depends on the desire and political will of the Republic of North Macedonia." Karadzhov highlighted that Bulgaria had sent an agreement for the tunnel, which is situated on the border between the two countries, but that approval has been delayed for three months. He clarified that this tunnel would be a shared facility, with both countries managing it jointly, a deal that had already been agreed upon previously. According to Karadzhov, the new agreement for the tunnel has been sent to Skopje but is still awaiting approval.

In response, the Ministry of Transport of North Macedonia issued a statement claiming that Bulgaria was misrepresenting the facts. The Macedonian side reiterated their commitment to completing Corridor 8 and pointed out that after Bulgaria requested an agreement to jointly construct the border tunnel, Skopje promptly established a high-level working body to negotiate the details. This group included key government officials and experts, all tasked with finalizing the details of the project with Bulgaria.

The Macedonian authorities also revealed that they had made multiple attempts to organize joint meetings between the working groups of both countries but had received no official response from Bulgaria. Furthermore, a planned meeting between the directors of the two national railway companies was reportedly canceled by the director of Bulgarian Railways.

In March, the European Commission, the EU Delegation to North Macedonia, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Secretariat of the Transport Community were informed of Macedonian concerns regarding Bulgarian media claims that Bulgaria would not finance the reconstruction of the Sofia - Radomir - Pernik railway line, a crucial section of Corridor 8.

The Ministry of Transport in Skopje emphasized that while Bulgaria continues to delay the process, North Macedonia remains the only country along Corridor 8 actively working on the railway construction. The Macedonian authorities criticized Bulgaria for failing to follow through on its commitments, stating that actions speak louder than words.