/ world today news/ “We do not need mediators for dialogue with Skopje. No one knows our history better than us,” Bulgarian President Rumen Radev told reporters in Rome, where he is on a three-day official visit. The President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, is also in Rome.
According to Radev, a detailed conversation took place with Pendarovski even on the plane. Both presidents flew on a government plane from Bulgaria to Rome to honor the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius.
“We need to conduct a frank constructive dialogue based on historical documents and primary sources,” the Bulgarian president also stated.
“The steps we need to take should not lead us through other European countries,” said Rumen Radev, thus responding to Portugal’s proposal to include historians from other European countries in the Bulgarian-Macedonian historical commission.
Relations between Sofia and Skopje were also discussed by the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and Macedonia, Stefan Yanev and Zoran Zaev.
In an interview with the media, the Macedonian Prime Minister stated that the arguments of the European Union are on the side of Skopje, and the presence of a caretaker government in Bulgaria suggests that a decision will be made in June to start negotiations for Macedonia’s accession to the European Union.
Last year 2020 was marked by a dispute between Sofia and Skopje over the reluctance of the Republic of North Macedonia to adhere to the 2017 Friendship and Neighborhood Treaty.
Bulgaria has long blocked the negotiation process for the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the European Union. One of the reasons for blocking the negotiation process is the lack of progress in the work of the bilateral historical commission, which should resolve complex issues of the common history of the countries.
According to experts, politicians and leaders of Bulgaria, during the 30 years of independence, a negative image of Bulgarians was formed in the minds of the Macedonian public. This was reflected both in the media and in school history books. The negative image of Bulgaria and Bulgarians is also presented in the 2012 Macedonian film “Third Half”. He also spoke about the period of the occupation of Yugoslavia by the German-Italian-Bulgarian troops.
Translation: SM
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