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Bulgaria blocks EU accession talks with Northern Macedonia

Bulgaria refused to approve the guidelines European Union (EU) talks with northern Macedonia on joining the bloc, Bulgarian foreign minister Ekaterina Zaharyev said on Tuesday.

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Bulgaria’s decision effectively blocks accession talks with northern Macedonia. The official start of negotiations was scheduled for December.

The Minister said that Bulgaria could not yet support the start of accession talks because of disagreements over historical and linguistic issues.

“Bulgaria cannot support the draft negotiating directives (…) and the organization of the first intergovernmental conference at this stage,” Zahariyev said after a virtual meeting of EU ministers.

The EU decided in March that Northern Macedonia and Albania can start accession negotiations with the EU. Negotiations with the two countries were expected to formally begin at the Intergovernmental Conference in December.

Zakaryev said Bulgaria had approved guidelines for talks with Albania.

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