Dear Prime Minister, esteemed Ambassador Aggeler, respected colleagues from the Government, honorable mayors, representatives of Bechtel-Enka, members of the media, dear fellow citizens, Just a few years ago, the only "construction" activities we witnessed were glamorous press conferences and cameras aimed at ribbons that were never cut by asphalt. Nothing was being built. Today, instead of camera flashes, we hear the roar of bulldozers, excavators, and trucks around us. We are not filming promotional videos – we are building the future. We are building roads for our people.
Corridor 8 is more than a road. It is a European artery that connects the Adriatic to the Black Sea – it connects the heart of the Balkans. Our strategic decision is clear: North Macedonia is completing its section and bringing Europe to the Balkans, and the Balkans – to Europe.
With the beginning of this highway, we are turning the Polog region into a crossroads of opportunities and investments, creating jobs, shortening the route between Skopje, Ohrid, and Struga, and bringing the border at Qafasan closer to every home and every business idea waiting for a market.
We are creating the opportunity to bring our children back home.
Allow me to sincerely thank the U.S. Ambassador, Mrs. Angela Aggeler, for her continuous support. Your presence here today is proof that the strategic partnership between North Macedonia and the United States is not just written on paper – it’s in the hammer, concrete, and steel. For work and for investment. Thank you.
Thanks also to the Bechtel and Enka team and to the experts from the Public Enterprise for State Roads. Without your expertise, this vision would not have become a constructive reality. We are not just building a highway – we are building trust. At the same time, we are investing in local roads, sewage and water supply systems, schools, and health clinics. The combination of state and municipal projects means that every municipality feels the presence of the Government – with real funds and real results.
This year, Macedonia is one big construction site. From Kriva Palanka to Resen, from Tetovo to Dolneni, from Debar to Strumica – wherever you go, you'll come across construction signs. That is no coincidence – that is the plan. Because our citizens deserve infrastructure that shortens travel time, increases safety, and improves quality of life.
Today, we lay the foundation stone of a project worth €90 million – but the true value is immeasurable:
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Every life saved thanks to a safer road.
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Every new business that chooses to invest here because of improved logistics.
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Every young person who stays in the region because opportunities are coming to them – not the other way around.
Let me finish with one simple promise: Judge us by completed kilometers, not by spent words. Today’s cornerstone is a symbol of that policy – a policy of action, not empty phrases.
Thank you. May it bring success, and may the straight road lead us to new achievements!
