site.btaNorth Macedonia President Comments on Diplomatic Messages Coming from Bulgaria

In an interview for Sloboden Pecat, the President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski said that the diplomatic messages coming from Bulgaria are "cultural, non-flammable, non-nationalistic", which is an improvement from the time of [former Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina] Zaharieva and [former Bulgarian Defence Minister Krasimir] Karakachanov. Pendarovski added that until December, in terms of constitutional amendments the ball is in North Macedonia's court, and it would be good, if Bulgaria would not contribute further to the tension in North Macedonia.

The President also commented on the statement released by the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry on July 16, which said that Bulgaria has no new conditions for North Macedonia. He said that there is a different type of rhetoric from Bulgaria, but the important question is how long the current Bulgarian government will last.

When asked whether he would have a meeting with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Pendarovski said that he has an open invitation, however, he would like to see some development in the bilateral talks and within the framework of the historical commission before paying a visit to Bulgaria. He added: "Overall, the situation in Bulgaria in the last three years has not been positive. We have an effective Bulgarian blockade".

Pendarovski is confident that North Macedonia is ready to start EU accession negotiations. He added that if there was no pressure regarding bilateral issues, such as the pressure exerted by Bulgaria, the talks could be completed within four years, after which his country could just "wait for membership ratification".