/ world today news/ It’s time to get out of family diplomacy in front of the cameras and focus on pragmatic solutions with the Republic of North Macedonia, Rumen Radev said before the meeting of the European Council
“At the last European Council in May, I found Bulgaria in isolation, pointed at and blamed for blocking the negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania. The caretaker government made a huge effort to make up for the years in which our partners were never able to hear a meaningful, reasoned Bulgarian position at a high level.” This was stated by President Rumen Radev in Brussels before the meeting of the European Council. The President reminded that, despite the tremendous pressure from the European partners, precisely at today’s European Council, to start negotiations for the membership of the Republic of North Macedonia, at the last moment this item was dropped from the agenda of the meeting.
The head of state also recalled that he had many personal meetings and conversations with the representatives of the European institutions – the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Council, as well as with presidents, prime ministers and ministers of foreign affairs of a number of countries. “I believe that they understood that the accusations against Bulgaria are unfounded, that we have a clear position to find a way out of this problem and that we hold on to reliable guarantees, to sustainable and irreversible results in bilateral relations,” pointed out Rumen Radev. The President called for an exit from family diplomacy in front of the cameras and for focusing on pragmatic solutions in the dialogue between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia.
According to the head of state, for this month and a half, Bulgaria has proven, despite international pressure, that it is a responsible member of the European Union and will not allow the introduction of new problems into it. “Let’s not be naive, now we managed not only to postpone this item from the agenda of the European Council, but also to reject the pressure to tie the beginning of negotiations for the membership of the Republic of North Macedonia to a calendar schedule and deadlines,” pointed out Rumen Radev. The President stressed that the pressure in this direction will continue, but Bulgaria has already shown that it is open to constructive talks and that it can initiate dialogue at the highest level.
“We will not allow our hands to be twisted with lobbying, with media and political pressure,” Rumen Radev also pointed out and highlighted the position of our country, which maintains that the EU’s enlargement policy is based on respecting the Copenhagen criteria for membership. “We cannot ignore the discrimination of citizens in our neighbor only because of their self-determination as Bulgarians, which is contrary to European values and principles, and there is no way to say “yes” until we have seen sustainable mechanisms to eradicate the distorted narrative and the deliberate attitude towards Bulgaria from the textbooks, the museums, the monuments to the media and state policy,” said the president.
Rumen Radev also emphasized that Bulgaria cannot support the start of EU membership negotiations for the Republic of North Macedonia and “before we are convinced that our neighbor will not build its identity on the theft of Bulgarian history”. “Let it be clear, the people of the Republic of North Macedonia are our brothers and we are obliged to help them as we have always done. Bulgaria remains open to quick results and bilateral negotiations in the interest of the citizens of both countries. It’s time for everyone to understand that the acceleration of the European perspective for our closest country depends only on the commitment and the results in the dialogue with Bulgaria,” President Rumen Radev also pointed out.
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