site.btaNorth Macedonia Not Ready for Constitutional Amendments, Foreign Minister Mucunski Says

North Macedonia is not ready for constitutional amendments in the current context of its bilateral relations with Bulgaria, North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski said on Thursday. He was speaking at a joint press conference with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, who is on an official visit to Skopje.

According to Mucunski, there is a lack of trust and credibility in the messages addressed to North Macedonia as a State. "At this moment there are no conditions for constitutional amendments, and the Government is not ready to take any step toward such changes,” he said, as cited by local media.

Mucunski argued that the Government of North Macedonia has always been ready for dialogue, but there had been no willingness for dialogue on the part of the previous Bulgarian government.

“I hope that in Sofia there is an understanding that our country’s European perspective is important for the entire region. But even if there is no such understanding, this does not mean that we are considering any alternative. We will continue along the path of reforms, we will continue to follow the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, and we will continue to share the European values in which the overwhelming majority of our citizens believe. But if the question is whether we are ready for constitutional changes in this context and in this situation – we are not ready. And let there be no doubt on this issue,” he emphasized.