site.btaBulgaria Voices Concern over Statements by Skopje Authorities Diverging from 2022 European Consensus

Bulgaria has noted with concern the latest fabricated theses by the authorities in Skopje, which sharply diverge from the essence of the 2022 European consensus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its website on Sunday.

The question of the language in which the expected Communities’ Rights Action Plan of North Macedonia should be drafted is an internal matter for the neighbouring country and is not an issue of bilateral relations. The document will be implemented by North Macedonia’s institutions with regard to its own citizens and it is therefore logical for it to be written in a language accessible to them. Skopje’s decision to present the draft plan to its citizens in English is difficult to explain, particularly if the plan is intended to be effectively implemented.

The Ministry recalls that the Communities’ Rights Action Plan is a step envisaged to follow the inclusion of Bulgarians in North Macedonia’s Constitution, which is still pending and which would allow the country to open EU accession negotiations.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry added that it welcomes the statement by North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski that he would accept all other remarks made by the Bulgarian community in the Plan, and expects this commitment to be honoured.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Mickoski accused Bulgaria of objecting to North Macedonia’s Action Plan for the protection of minorities because it was written in the Macedonian language. The Action Plan for minority protection is part of North Macedonia’s EU integration process.

In 2022, the so-called French proposal was adopted, obliging Skopje to include Bulgarians in its Constitution as a state-forming people, a requirement that has yet to be fulfilled.