site.btaPM Zhelyazkov: Bulgaria Will Not Turn EU Accession Process of North Macedonia into Bilateral Issue

Bulgaria will not turn the European Union accession process of the Republic of North Macedonia into a bilateral issue, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov told reporters on Thursday in Brussels. He reported that earlier in the day he spoke to European Council President Antonio Costa before the meeting of the EU heads of state or government.

Zhelyazkov said that the topic of EU enlargement with Western Balkan states was discussed in detail, with the accent being on the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia on the country's own merits. He added: “Our position is completely synchronized with the resolution of the National Assembly in May. This position gives enough guarantees to the Republic of North Macedonia that Bulgaria will not set any conditions and turn the process into a bilateral one. We view this process as a member state of the EU and the European Council, as relations between the European Council and the Republic of North Macedonia.”

The Prime Minister said: “The issue was clearly raised in our discussion, the implementation of the 2022 compromise [also known as the French proposal], which foresees changes in the constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia and the inclusion of the Bulgarian community, is the condition necessary for the negotiation process to start.”

According to Zhelyazkov, in the context of the interesting relations existing in the Balkans, the issue of identity and language, which is present in the narrative of the European Parliament's draft declaration, is a topic that "aims to bypass the essential issue". He added: “This circumvention distracts the attention of the public in Bulgaria and in the Republic of North Macedonia. The main issue is a change in the Constitution, the inclusion of the Bulgarian community and the protection of human rights of the Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia with the necessary guarantees for this. Bulgaria does not set any conditions on the issue. It wants the implementation of the consensus compromise reached in 2022.”

He said that he received Costa’s assurance that the European Council would adhere strictly to the 2022 compromise. “I asked President Costa to draw the attention of our colleagues in Skopje to the fact that hate speech does not help this process, even in our dialogue, which should be based on the Treaty of [friendship,] goodneighbourliness [and cooperation]. As a wise EU member state, we are exercising the necessary restraint on our emotions and reactions to the jokes of our colleagues from North Macedonia, who may have their reasons because of the upcoming [local] elections in autumn,” Zhelyazkov said.