EU partners already understand the essence of our problem with Skopje, the president said
Bulgaria’s new prime minister caught the president unprepared with his opinion on resolving the dispute
Bulgaria is defending its position on the accession of Northern Macedonia to the EU, said President Rumen Radev before the start of the last European Council of the year in Brussels.
“Most of our partners understand the problem. It goes beyond the notion of a historic dispute between two neighboring countries. This is a problem that deeply affects the foundation of the EU itself and the values and principles we profess – human rights and non-discrimination, “said the head of state.
“In all the councils since May, I have spoken to all European leaders and leaders of European institutions on this topic. I would like to thank them because, for the second time this year, the issue of enlargement is off the agenda.
our partners
finally
they understood where he was
the real one
problems ”,
Radev pointed out. According to him, Bulgaria will continue to defend not only history and culture, but also respect for the rights of Macedonian Bulgarians.
“They have to get clear guarantees. The process is not driven by deadlines, but by results. We do not give deadlines, we expect a result. “Any attempts to put pressure on Bulgaria are counterproductive,” he said.
Initially, the newly elected Prime Minister Kiril Petkov was expected to make his debut at the forum, but then it became clear that urgent commitments keep him in Bulgaria and Bulgaria will be represented by the President.
At the same time, according to EURACTIV, Kiril Petkov’s statement to the Financial Times about a planned “very fast trial” with Skopje was not coordinated with Radev. The president is believed to have been caught unprepared by the prime minister’s strategies, although the two were very close during the months of political crisis. Sources familiar with the situation say Radev does not want a limited time to resolve the veto issue, as there is a risk that Skopje will wait until time runs out instead of addressing Sofia’s concerns.
Bulgaria cannot approve the draft negotiating framework and setting a deadline for convening a first intergovernmental conference with northern Macedonia. This was stated by our Permanent Representative to the EU Ambassador Rumen Alexandrov during the General Affairs Council. He argued that the requirements of the national Framework Position, supported by a Declaration of the National Assembly, were not met. At Bulgaria’s insistence, the council confirmed that the full implementation of the 2017 Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation is part of the accession process.
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has postponed his resignation, hoping that a breakthrough in Bulgaria’s steadfastness in the talks could be reached at the December European Council, but this will not happen. Hours after the ambassadors’ meeting in Brussels ended, the Albanian Macedonian formation Besa called for early elections due to the postponement of the start of negotiations.
The first high-level comments on the approach to solving Prime Minister Kiril Petkov’s problem also came from Skopje. The President of Northern Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, described as an acceptable position that history should not be the only channel of communication between the two countries. However, he added that he did not support the 6-month deadline set by Petkov in an interview with the Financial Times. “I think that the problem between us can be solved in a much shorter period of time,” said the head of state of the neighbors.
Bulgaria has the right to veto,
but it is controversial
the time measure
from 6 months,
which the new Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov proposed. This was also stated by Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani. According to him, 6 months is too long.
“We need to sit down with Petkov and talk about what this period means. That should have been the case a long time ago, “Osmani said.
I am convinced that at the bilateral working meetings, which would focus on infrastructure, economy, culture, education, we will be able to show that in the past we have made serious preparations, said the Special Representative of Skopje for Bulgaria Vlado Buckovski. “We have done much more than Bulgaria in infrastructure,” he told Nova Makedonija, noting that deadlines have been set for the construction of the railway line between the two countries. According to him, this will be one of the largest infrastructure projects, will cost 650 million euros and must be completed within 6 years.
Opposition leader in northern Macedonia, Christian Mickoski, called for Macedonians to be included in the Bulgarian constitution if Sofia wants Bulgarians to be included in the RSM constitution.
Kiril Petkov is still going to Brussels
Kiril Petkov’s first visit abroad will be in Brussels on Friday, EURACTIV announced. The new Bulgarian Prime Minister has already confirmed meetings with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The main topic of the talks is expected to be the Bulgarian veto on Northern Macedonia, although Bulgaria’s recovery and sustainability plan will no doubt also be on the agenda of the committee meeting.
Yotova: There are no new facts to change the position
There are no grounds or new facts to change the Bulgarian position on RS Macedonia. This was said by Vice President Iliana Yotova yesterday. She reminded that many meetings and talks had been held with our European partners and with the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, with the Commissioner for Enlargement, as well as with the authorities in Skopje.
It is important to draw a roadmap from now on what to do, said Yotova and called for waiting for the decision of our neighbors, because their prime minister is currently resigned. The new proposals that our European partners would eventually make were to be seen, but the Vice President suggested that nothing new would be heard. The issue is likely to be discussed after January under the French presidency.
The number of commissions is not a factor that will resolve the controversial issues, Yotova commented on the idea of additional commissions to consider the problems between the two countries in economic and social terms. However, they had to have clear powers, because the commission, which was set up after the signing of the contract, has so far had almost zero results.
Bulgaria’s position on the PCM has not changed, it has been confirmed by a decision of the National Assembly, said Deputy Parliament Speaker Christian Vigenin. The former foreign minister called on the media to get acquainted with the original text of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov’s interview with the Financial Times because it was not quoted correctly. In it, Petkov said the approach to negotiations with Skopje would change, with the negotiation process being limited to just six months.
It is good to seek wider cooperation, but until the RSM fulfills its commitments and demands of Bulgaria, there can be no new position, said the deputy head of the BSP. He reminded that the commitment of the PCM stands and is expected above all to fulfill what has already been set by the Bulgarian side.
Former Foreign Minister and GERB MP Ekaterina Zaharieva criticized Prime Minister Kiril Petkov for “one thing he says in the Western press, he does not dare to say here.” That is why GERB will take care not to deviate from the position adopted by their government and parliament.
“The commitments that RS Macedonia has made are very clear, and we know that they have not fulfilled any of this for 2 years,” Zaharieva reminded. He explained that Skopje has given up all commitments, such as the №8 corridor, which is not under construction, and PCM has received the most money. Public procurement was also terminated after it was won by Bulgarian companies.
Zaharieva also reminded that Bulgarian flags were burned and threats of self-mutilation were made due to Bulgarian self-consciousness. A country that claims to be in the EU cannot discriminate, she said.
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