site.btaNorth Macedonia's Foreign Minister Has Requested Official Meeting with Bulgarian Counterpart

Timco Mucunski, North Macedonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, has requested an official bilateral meeting with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova during the upcoming NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Sweden on May 21-22.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Mucunski said he had requested the meeting despite "everything that has happened in recent days". One of the topics he wants to discuss with Petrova is what he described as "non-European conditions" being imposed on North Macedonia, referring to constitutional amendments linked to the country's EU accession process.

"We must maintain dialogue, regardless of how much we agree or how diametrically opposed our positions may sometimes be. Dialogue does not necessarily mean concession. These are two completely different things," Mucunski said.

He added that Sofia has not yet confirmed the meeting, but said he remained optimistic that the request would receive a positive response.

The first encounter between the two foreign ministers in Brussels earlier this month caused tensions in North Macedonia. Petrova described it as "a good first meeting".

Speaking in Brussels on May 11, Petrova said Bulgaria's position since 2022 had not been a bilateral issue but part of discussions between the European Union and a candidate country. She expressed expectations that Skopje would take steps showing political readiness to continue on its European path forward and used the term "North Macedonian", prompting North Macedonia's Foreign Ministry to summon Bulgaria's ambassador to Skopje, Zhelyazko Radukov, the following day for an oral protest.

In a Facebook post on May 11, Mucunski said he and Petrova had not held an "official bilateral meeting” but rather “a brief conversation on the sidelines of an event, in the presence of several colleagues".

"At the same time, I would like to note that the use of the term 'North Macedonian' in relation to the Macedonian people is inaccurate and inappropriate. Macedonians are Macedonians. This is not a matter of politics, but of elementary respect for the identity and dignity of a people," Mucunski wrote.