site.btaSkopje Says Now It’s Sofia’s Move on Joint Resolution Acknowledging "Centuries-old Macedonian Identity and Language"

North Macedonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Timco Mucunski, said on Monday that “it is now Sofia's move” to respond to a proposal made by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski for a joint resolution between Bulgaria and North Macedonia to explicitly recognize "a centuries-old Macedonian identity and language". He suggested that the resolution should be introduced in the European Parliament through Bulgarian MEPs.

According to Mucunski, the proposal has already reached Bulgaria, even without an official document, as it has become “a central topic there.”

“We always call for dialogue and reason. That’s why now it’s Sofia’s move - to show whether it will move forward into the 21st century or remain stuck in the rhetoric of the 19th. I want to believe in reason, I want to believe in Sofia’s progressiveness. I know these are difficult decisions, but that’s what we’re all elected for - to make the difficult decisions. The opportunity is now in Sofia’s hands to show that it stands on the side of progress,” Mucunski said at a press conference following the visit of Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita to Skopje.

In a TV interview last week, Prime Minister Mickoski stated he was ready for North Macedonia and Bulgaria to jointly draft a resolution “clearly affirming the centuries-old Macedonian identity and language,” which would be submitted to the European Parliament by Bulgarian MEPs. When asked about the topic again during a visit to Tetovo, Mickoski reiterated that his proposal was a response to a statement made by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who had said Bulgaria’s only remaining condition for North Macedonia’s EU accession was a constitutional amendment recognizing citizens who identify as part of the Bulgarian community.

What President Radev said was: “We have been waiting for three years now for the Republic of North Macedonia to fulfil a clearly stated condition that would open the door to the start of negotiations - guaranteeing the equality of Bulgarians in the country by enshrining it in the Constitution. This is what we want."

“Let’s submit a resolution together - through Bulgarian MEPs - that will confirm the distinct Macedonian identity and language. Then, in a gesture of goodwill, the Bulgarian state should comply with rulings from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which relate to the denial of rights to Macedonians in Bulgaria. That includes registering the OMO Ilinden - Pirin organization, which could then propose its own representative to the Council for the Protection of Minority Rights in Bulgaria. Let’s do this together, as good neighbors,” Mickoski said on Monday.

The proposal sparked a wave of online reactions in North Macedonia.

Katica Kyulavkova, a member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU), called the idea a “Russian roulette” for the country, warning that the Macedonian language has a long-established dialectal system, historical continuity, codification, and international recognition - and should not be subjected to arbitrary political or partisan decisions.

Elka Yacheva-Ulcar of the Krste Misirkov Institute of Macedonian Language said the approach might appear pragmatic and moderate at first glance, but on closer inspection, it carries significant risks. She warned it could create a deeper and more lasting political trap than the existing Treaty of Good Neighbourliness with Bulgaria or the French proposal for North Macedonia’s EU path.

Asked about these critical reactions, Mucunski stated:

“The academic community must sometimes acknowledge the political reality. And the political reality is that our neighbor, despite all undeniable facts, denies our identity, our history, and our language. This isn’t just a risk for us — it’s a real obstacle. The prime minister’s initiative is simple: let’s make a gesture, take the initiative, and eliminate this obstacle.”