site.btaBulgaria Must Remain Vigilant and Proactive Regarding North Macedonia, Says President Rumen Radev

Bulgaria must maintain constant attention to developments in the Republic of North Macedonia and Skopje's constant lobbying across all European capitals and institutions, said President Rumen Radev speaking to journalists at Vasil Levski Airport here on Sunday before departing on an official visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. 

His comments came in response to the postponement of the vote on the progress report regarding Skopje's accession to the European Union.

“In that report, there were more than 31 meetings held by the drafting committee with the Macedonian side, but only one with Bulgarian representatives. This is very telling—we must remain vigilant at all times,” the President noted.

“Former President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, said I was the architect of Bulgaria's approach toward the Republic of North Macedonia. There can be no negotiation with me when it comes to the Bulgarian national interest,” Radev added.

He expressed his hope that the current government will continue to defend Bulgaria's national position regarding Skopje just as he did over the past two years. He welcomed the unity on this issue—both in the Bulgarian National Assembly and among all Bulgarian representatives in the European Parliament.

“I hope they will defend our national cause regarding North Macedonia very clearly,” the head of state said.

Last week, the Bulgarian National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Skopje's EU accession process. The resolution, submitted by Toshko Yordanov (There Is Such a People) and a group of MPs, was approved with 194 votes in favor. It reaffirms Bulgaria’s full commitment to the July 2022 European consensus and urges the authorities in North Macedonia to strictly fulfill their obligations.

Earlier this week, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament agreed to postpone the vote on RNM’s progress report, following a proposal by rapporteur Thomas Waitz. The vote in the committee is scheduled for June 24, with the plenary session in Strasbourg expected to vote in July.