The two countries have reached an agreement, which will take the form of a Political Declaration of the governments of Greece and Bulgaria, on the issue of the use of the Arda River, which has been a point of friction for many months, due to the expiry of the previous agreement.

The agreement ensures the normal flow of water to Greece, thus assuaging the anxiety of farmers in the region, as the river’s waters are critical for agricultural crops.

Last week, Foreign Minister G. Gerapetritis had a telephone conversation with his Bulgarian counterpart G. Georgiyev, during which bilateral relations were discussed, as well as the issue of water management.

According to the Bulgarian News Agency, the two countries have reached the text of the agreement, which provides for Bulgaria’s commitment to supply the Greek side with a regulated amount of water from the Arda River for the irrigation of lands on Greek territory, as regulated by the Agreements between the People’s Republic of Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Greece (1964), as well as the 2024 Protocol.

Greece, under the agreement, declares its intention to “start within a reasonable period of time the relevant activities for the modernization of the existing and/or the construction of new equalizer(s), thus ensuring the irrigation needs of the Greek territory, with a view to independence in the accumulation, storage and regulated supply of water” flowing along the Arda River in the territory of the Hellenic Republic.

Bulgaria, for its part, declares that it will provide the service of “accumulation, storage and regulated supply of quantities of water” from the Arda River, through the Arda dam system, which is necessary for the irrigation of the lands in the Greek territory, until the modernization or construction of new equalizers on the Greek side, for five (5) years from the signing of this Declaration.
Greece also declares that it will take the necessary measures to ensure the reimbursement of the relevant costs for the service provided by the Bulgarian side concerning the “accumulation, storage and regulated supply of water quantities” from the Arda River.

The problem lay in the fact that both countries need the flow of Nestos water at the same times of the day – Bulgaria for the operation of a hydroelectric power station and Greece for the irrigation of agricultural crops. Now, with the agreement and the construction of a reservoir on the Greek side of the border, the uninterrupted use of the water for irrigation needs will be ensured.

The Nestos water issue has been exploited by the nationalist opposition in Bulgaria, which is also trying to link it to the issue of the new border crossing between Rudozem and Xanthi, which is also almost completed on the Greek side of the border.

The nationalist opposition has adopted extreme rhetoric that is also directed against Greece, as it seeks to win over voters in this particular constituency, who are complaining that, as long as the opening of the new border crossing is delayed, they are forced to… detour a few tens of kilometres.
Of course, between Greece and Bulgaria, traffic is running smoothly through the four toll roads already in operation, but it is expected that this passage will also be completed soon.