Bulgaria will have new position on North Macedonia's European integration

A consultative meeting to discuss the results of the work of the Joint Committee on Historical and Educational Affairs between Bulgaria and North Macedonia was held with Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev on September 30. Prior to the invitation to Skopje to begin EU membership talks, the head of state requested that the Bulgarian support should not be at the expense of native history, language and identity.

A decision was taken for a new position of Bulgaria: Bulgaria supports the European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia, but this should not be at the expense of the Bulgarian national interest.

Boyko Borissov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria: I have always said that we are one peoples. Let's say we are fraternal peoples. This fraternal war should not continue on the side of propaganda from Skopje, because we have no closer people, no one is closer to us.

Borissov said that if Bulgaria blocked North Macedonia from the EU, history would show that at the time the other 27 EU countries had supported North Macedonia, Bulgaria had not.

He added that Bulgaria had put in enormous efforts. “Our position, from the first day to now, is that it is crucial that they be accepted into the EU. However, it is extremely important that they understand that it depends on them and that it cannot happen at our expense – reshaping history”.

Krassimir Karakachanov, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister: These people make fun of us and are playing for time by playing around with us. The next meeting of the joint commission on history is set for October 15, just before the European Council meeting for the decision on October 17 and 18.

Karakachanov also said that it was not a good option to separate the accession processes of Albania and Macedonia, because for us these are two countries in the region for which Bulgaria has stated clear political intentions to move for Nato and EU membership.

Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said that Bulgaria always had supported the European prospects of the countries of the Western Balkans, including the Republic of North Macedonia, but this support has never been unconditional. We have expressed it many times, and at all the Councils and now at the latest European Council, at the insistence of Bulgaria, the implementation of the Neighbourhood and Cooperation Treaty was included, she said.