Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has denied that Bulgaria was among the countries that had blocked the fixing of a date for Macedonia to begin EU accession negotiations.

"Our position was the same as the one we had negotiated with [Macedonian] Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. Bulgaria supports Macedonia, and we hope that this will be appreciated in your country,” said Borisov on a Deutsche Welle program on Thursday.

According to him, circulation of information about the so-called “Bulgarian blockade” has been initiated by those who want to harm relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria.

Later on Thursday, the Bulgarian Prime Minister addressed the congress of the European People's Party in Bonn, Germany.

Although he did not comment specifically on Macedonia’s hope to set a starting date for accession talks, Borisov emphasized that both Bulgaria and its neighbor should transform themselves into developed European countries. He referred to the freeing up of the EU visa regime for Macedonia.

"I congratulate our Macedonian neighbors who as of December 19 will be able to travel freely within the EU. Then for the first time they will be able to  feel the difference - how much better it is to be in the EU and NATO and to develop good neighborly relations.

“I hope that after December 19, Macedonians will know how much better it is to be close friends with Bulgaria,” he added, joking that “it is not nice when you see holes in the roads in Skopje and in Sofia.”

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