The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has summoned Croatian ambassador to Sofia, Jasna Ognjanovac, for talks after harsh criticism directed at Sofia’s foreign policy by Croatian President Zoran Milanović. 

The move comes after a summit of Slovenia and Croatia with the countries of the Western Balkans, where Milanović announced that Bulgaria is putting Northern Macedonia “in an impossible position” to start EU membership talks.

“The current official policy of one EU member state is entering in the North Macedonia intimate space. I will openly oppose this. If your goal is to destroy the weaker one just because he is weaker, it never ends well,” Milanović said on Tuesday. Bulgaria described the Croatian president’s statement as “unacceptable and unjustified”.

Bulgaria stressed that the process of EU integration should be based on the own achievements of each country, while respecting the fundamental values ​​of the Union, including the principle of good neighbourliness./Krassen Nikolov, EURACTIV.bg