site.btaNorth Macedonia Foreign Minister Mucunski Says Skopje, Sofia Share Interest in North Macedonia's EU Path

North Macedonia’s progress towards full European Union membership is in the shared interest of Skopje and Sofia, North Macedonia Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski said in Sofia on Wednesday ahead of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit.

Both countries stand to benefit from the process, Mucunski said, adding that North Macedonia is ready to cooperate with Bulgaria in defence, security, the economy and education. He said developments in recent years had artificially divided the peoples of the two countries and added that the focus should be on the future, rather than on issues related to history, identity and language.

Asked by Bulgarian journalists about the 2022 compromise on North Macedonia’s EU accession path and the implementation of its commitments, Mucunski said Skopje had a different interpretation of what was expected under the agreement.

"We need to function within a system based on mutual trust. Our view is that we have a different interpretation of what is expected from our country under the 2022 decision," he said.

Mucunski added that North Macedonia had prepared an action plan on minorities as part of the requirements stemming from the agreement.

“The plan covers not only the Bulgarian minority but all minorities in the country and was prepared in cooperation with leading experts delegated by the Council of Europe,” Mucunski said.

Mucunski said mutual trust was important and that strong identities should not be built through attacks on other identities. Instead, countries should respect their differences and focus on their common future.

Mucunski said North Macedonia’s goal was not only to open EU accession negotiations but also to complete them successfully.

“What is important for us is to know that there will be no additional requirements related to history, identity and language,” he said.

He added that dialogue and mutual understanding could resolve any challenge if there was political will and commitment to the European idea.

“Our goal is to make sure that bilateral issues do not emerge either at the start of negotiations or throughout the accession process. It is important to clarify the expectations of both sides because there is a strong bilateral element to this issue,” Mucunski said.