Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zakharieva said there was no way to say “yes” to the start of talks between northern Macedonia and the European Union. She also said that Bulgaria does not dispute the language and contemporary identity of the population in the RMV.
“We stated our position. Now that attitude is also in the public eye. Since last year, the Government sent a statement to the Assembly that was supported by all political parties. This means that our position on Northern Macedonia is not new, as some say. “I think we have unity on this topic,” Minister Zakharieva told BTV.
She stressed that it is in Bulgaria ‘s interest for all Western Balkan countries to join the EU.
“Currently, Bulgaria can not approve the framework of talks with Northern Macedonia. “There is a Good Neighborhood Agreement that was signed in 2017 and ratified in 2018, and this agreement is not being implemented”, said Zakharieva.
She added that Bulgaria has no claims on how the citizens of this republic are defined, but Macedonians should not have claims on Bulgarian history either.
“We are not only concerned with history, but also with hate speech. “The non-acceptance of the historical truth brings serious problems in the relations between the two countries”, said Zakharieva.
