Immediate decisions cannot be made to resolve the dispute between Bulgaria and RS Macedonia, because Bulgaria is facing both parliamentary and presidential elections in the near future, BGNES reported.
This was stated by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference after the EU-Western Balkans summit, which took place in the Slovenian city of Bardo.
Merkel said that various problem areas were discussed during the meeting.
“It has become clear here that the next step that needs to be taken is to reach an agreement between Bulgaria and RS Macedonia so that Sofia can agree to start an intergovernmental conference,” the chancellor said, referring to the start of accession talks. Skopje to the EU. She noted that the issue was discussed during the forum in various, smaller formats, with the participation of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, and leading European politicians.
“I hope the problems will be overcome. As you know, parliamentary and presidential elections will be held in Bulgaria very soon, so in this context it is not possible to make immediate decisions now,” Merkel stressed.
After meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister and senior European politicians such as Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said RS Macedonia must stop the de-Bulgarianization and destruction of cultural and historical monuments, as well as the decades-long Bulgarian Revival process. He urged RS Macedonia to respect the letter and spirit of the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborliness, which was signed between the two countries in August 2017.
For his part, the Macedonian prime minister said that Rumen Radev’s actions and demands were offensive to the Macedonian people.
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