"Particular attention will be paid to the implementation of the Treaty of friendship, good neighbourliness and cooperation with the Republic of Northern Macedonia," said in a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria welcomes the publication of the European Commission Enlargement Package for 2019. This is stated in a statement of the ministry.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria welcomes the publication of the European Commission Enlargement Package for 2019. The guiding principles of enlargement policy - the principle of self-reliance and the focus on the rule of law and fundamental freedoms - have been confirmed.

The enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkan countries remains one of the priority topics for Bulgaria and should continue to occupy an important place on the European agenda. Good neighbourly relations, regional cooperation, the rule of law are criteria of horizontal significance falling within the framework of conventions.

We are pleased with the retention of the dynamics achieved by the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council on Enlargement, including the conclusions adopted in June 2018, which the current EC reports also reflect. In this regard, we welcome the recommendations for starting accession negotiations with both the Republic of Northern Macedonia and Albania.

Given the priority of good neighbourly relations, it will be necessary at each stage of the process to assess the implementation of the agreements reached in this area with all candidate countries conducting accession negotiations. To this end, the application of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourhood and Cooperation with the Republic of Northern Macedonia will be particularly important.

Bulgaria will carefully analyze EC reports and recommendations with a view to assessing their credibility and objectivity. We will make every effort to adopt Council Conclusions confirming the importance of EU enlargement policy as a key instrument for peace, stability, security, prosperity and deep transformation of societies in candidate and potential candidate countries by fulfilling the necessary criteria. We are expecting draft conclusions to prepare a decision to start membership talks with the Republic of Northern Macedonia and Albania.

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