site.btaSkopje to Work on Cooperation with Its Neighbours but Not Compromise Its State Principles

The Republic of North Macedonia will work to develop cooperation with its neighbours, but "will not retreat from its state position", said North Macedonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski at his joint press conference with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto here on Friday. 

Responding to a journalist's question related to his telephone conversation with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev and whether "Sofia is willing to meet" with the Republic of North Macedonia, Mucunski said he could not answer this question. 

"We want a meeting. And meetings. And communication. Because we think it is normal for all neighbours to communicate with each other. Because we think it is normal for all neighbors to communicate not only on political issues, but also on a number of issues that affect us bilaterally. And we will always find ways to communicate on the basis of principles, values, policies with all our neighbours, including Bulgaria.  But at the same time we will not back down from our positions on principle. That is what I conveyed to my counterpart. That we want to talk, we want to have more meetings. The meeting that we had in Munich at the beginning of his term in office was on our initiative. We support the initiatives to hold meetings also at the NATO Summit in The Hague and in all other forums, and we will always give our support to what means good relations with all our neighbours. But at the same time, this does not mean opening space for a concession on our state position. We believe that our path to the EU must become predictable," Mucunski said.

In his words, it is a fact that his country "for more than 20 years has been a victim of constant bilateralisation of its European path", but the Government has made real steps towards Europeanisation of the country. 

"We have a political problem with one of our neighbours, this is the reality that everyone in the EU is aware of. And, yes, we have to find a way to overcome this obstacle, and on this neither the Government nor the President have a dilemma. But we must not, on our way to membership, allow ourselves to be trampled on, to be humiliated and to allow that line to continue - of giving up our national identity, of giving up our language, of giving up our history, of giving up anything to do with identity.  Because what is a nation without an identity?" Mucunski argued.