© Associated Press
– Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs Anna Paula Zakarias.
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said the institutions were verifying the authenticity of a Portuguese official’s comments, and the Lisbon ambassador tried to soften the country’s reaction after a comment came from the current EU Council president that Macedonian was part of Bulgarian.
In a conversation with journalists in Lisbon, a report from which he was broadcast on “Horizon” – but also fragments of which appeared on the Internet – the Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs Anna Paula Zakarias expressed some understanding and support for the Bulgarian position, blocking the negotiations of Northern Macedonia with the European Union.
“A very difficult debate”
Simultaneously with these words (which are no surprise because of Portugal similar comments have come in an attempt at dialogue) Zakariash tried to explain the delicacy of the topic, recalling the negotiations with Greece and the difficulty of the conversation with Bulgaria. “This is a very difficult debate, especially for Bulgaria, it is about the history, the cultural identity of the two countries, as well as the future cooperation. They are currently working on something like a roadmap to help them work together, and for Bulgaria to there are guarantees that when Northern Macedonia joins the EU, things will go more smoothly, “she said, but continued:
“Northern Macedonia went through difficult negotiations with Greece – remember that this changed the name of the country. But it is very difficult because it is also related to Bulgaria as a culture and language. It is obviously related to the northern Macedonian language, which was once part of the Bulgarian language and the cultural dimensions of both countries. “
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Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs
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One of Bulgaria’s demands to Northern Macedonia to approve the negotiating framework and convene the First Intergovernmental Conference was to use the phrase “official language of the Republic of Northern Macedonia” instead of “Macedonian” in the negotiation process. This request is not mentioned in the latter statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the position of Bulgaria, including in the position of June 25, which lists several conditions, including commitments made by Prime Minister Zaev during his visit to Sofia.
When asked by Dnevnik whether or not the requirement for the language from the list of conditions of Bulgaria remains or whether the conditions listed in the position are sufficient for the start of negotiations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs answered: “The position published on June 25, 2021 in October 2019. Framework position of the Council of Ministers, supported by a declaration of the National Assembly, which contain all elements and criteria regarding the Bulgarian position on the European perspective of the Republic of Northern Macedonia. ”
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Reverse
Portuguese Ambassador to Northern Macedonia Maria Virginia Mendes da Silva Pina announcements told Deutsche Welle that her country “would never jeopardize the process of finding a solution to the dispute between Bulgaria and northern Macedonia.” She interpreted Zakarias’ words as a recognition that “there are sensitive issues related to identity, history and the Bulgarian and Macedonian languages”.
Lisbon made a proposal to resolve the dispute weeks ago, which was not published, but according to media reports, it contained compromises such as confirmation from Sofia and Skopje that the language is one, called in different ways. For this proposal, Zakariash had stated that it was balanced and prepared with understanding on both sides.
Zakariash’s words have become a test for Zaev’s government, which is trying to convince the public – and the opposition – that his country has the principled support of other EU members in the dispute with Bulgaria. On the other hand, Politico quotes diplomats last week, commenting that Bulgaria is indeed isolated and no one understands its position.
In front of journalists, Zaev, again welcoming the efforts and proposals of Portugal, said that the negotiating framework explicitly states “the translation of (EU legislation and legal acts) will be in Macedonian.” According to him, the Portuguese minister most likely made an interpretation “for the Bulgarian media”. According to him, it remains to be seen whether Zakariash actually said that.
In a comment for “Deutsche Welle” Katerina Blazhevska blames the government that it has “slept through” the signals from Portugal – it said back in January that there was no need to hurry with the EU Council’s conclusions on enlargement. As a result, Skopje has allowed Zakarias to use the words “northern Macedonian” and make political assessments of its origins.
What else did Zacharias say?
Zakarias said that respect for Bulgaria’s position was needed and that it was “important not to bring disagreements and problems between the two countries into the EU” and “to resolve them before a country joins the European Union” (this is support for dispute resolution in principle and not before the First Intergovernmental Conference).
“We also put pressure on Bulgaria because we had put a good proposal on the table … We are also working with Northern Macedonia and trying to see if there comes a time when we can agree on the issue. But this pressure still has limits.” Zakarias continues. There were comments from both sides of the border that her words were directed against attempts to persuade Bulgaria to change its position, but she spoke of pressure on both countries.
“What I feel is that the time was not right. Bulgaria needed more time to discuss these issues. Whether there will be elections or not, I believe that negotiations with Northern Macedonia should continue, especially with regard to road transport. a map that needs to be clear, “said Zakarias, when asked if the election would change position with a broad public consensus.
“I think our efforts have been appreciated by both Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia. But time is needed between balancing the pressure we are exerting and understanding the situation that needs to be achieved. As presidency, we wanted to make this point, but we need to understand the circumstances. “
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It is all based on someone on high political position in Portugal but unliteral and quietly poorly educated on linguistics… She literally say the same thing as the analogy where someone can say that Portuguese language is new language and in the past it was Spanish language… yes, it is exact and correct analogy.
Explanation Portuguese language is developed by the root language LATIN same as Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian ext… Bulgarian language is developed from OLD SLAV language same as Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Russian, Slovak ext… is that simple if u just read some very basic linguistic maps…
Language issue which Bulgaria have with North Macedonia is totally clear nationalistic politic … have noting to do with the REAL science, they are just convinced that Bulgarian language is the root i.e. generic language of all Slavic languages, which is definitely hilarious believe as Bulgarians are poorly 8 millions while SLAVIC speakers are half of a billion population in Europe and Asia. So it is hilarious to even think that 8 mil are generic language to 500 mil … it is same as someone in Switzerland to claim that German language is generically from Switzerland.
And finally the pain, the core of the political issue about the languge is in the FACT that the Cyrillic is written in todays North Macedonia by the St. Cyril and St. Methodius and their students which are not Bulgarians but from Solun (Telasoliniki) Macedonians… 😉 So that is why Bulgaria have an issue because the first kingdom which receives the Cyrillic is Bulgaria at the time from the simple reason Macedonia at that time, and shortly after the holly mission of the Saint brothers from Tesaloniki was under Bulgarian kingdom.