site.btaNorth Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry: We Have No Intention or Need to Intervene in Bulgaria’s Internal Politics

In a statement  published on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of North Macedonia expressed regret that the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “increasingly positions itself as a reviewer of statements by North Macedonian political representatives rather than as a partner in substantive, Europe-oriented dialogue.”

"At the same time, we make it clear that we have neither the intention nor the need to be part of Bulgaria’s internal or electoral processes, neither through comments and interpretations nor through involvement in daily political narratives. We call on Bulgarian institutions to act in accordance with the principles of good-neighbourliness, mutual respect, predictability, and institutional communication - principles that also represent fundamental European values and standards. Europe is built on trust and results, not labels or political qualifications. North Macedonia remains ready for dialogue conducted in the spirit of European values," the statement reads.

The statement was issued in response to Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry expression of "deep disappointment over the continued non-constructive approach of official Skopje and the lack of openness in public communication" in fulfilling commitments under the European Consensus of 2022. The institution recalled that the European Consensus of 2022 was adopted unanimously by all EU Member States, as well as by North Macedonia itself, and emphasised that dialogue is institutional, between the candidate country and the EU.

The Bulgarian position, in turn, was a reaction to an interview given by North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski, in which he said that Bulgaria did not respond positively to an initiative by larger and more influential EU Member States to organize a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Bulgaria and North Macedonia.