Bujar Osmani, Foreign Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, called for more pressure on Bulgaria in order for Skopje to start EU membership talks.

"We must continue with the tension and setting short deadlines. We are fully prepared and have the right to put pressure on Bulgaria and the EU," Osmani told local TV 24. Regarding the words of the Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov that in the next 6 months there should be progress in our bilateral relations, Osmani expressed his dissatisfaction with this "long period".

"Six months is too long in the current situation in the region. There are many open questions. This period is not suitable for us. We need to sit down with Petkov and talk about what this period means. Such an approach should have existed a long time ago. The first intergovernmental meeting is no different than the rest. There was no need for the whole region to be taken hostage," he said. According to Osmani, "the only problem is Bulgaria's disapproval of the negotiating framework, which has been challenged in some instances by the Bulgarians”.

Bujar Osmani said that during the General Affairs Council meeting yesterday, "the issue of misinterpretation of history was not raised and for the first time Bulgaria did not point out any guilt of the RNM."

At the General Affairs Council held last night in Brussels, Bulgaria reaffirmed its position on the start of negotiations for the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the European Union, BGNES recalls.

Macedonian Opposition Leader: Bulgaria should include Macedonians in the Constitution

Bulgaria confirmed that it cannot approve the draft negotiating framework and set a deadline for convening the first Intergovernmental Conference with the Republic of North Macedonia, as the requirements of the national Framework Position, supported by a Declaration of the National Assembly, have not been met. At Bulgaria's insistence, the Council confirmed that the full implementation of the letter and spirit of the 2017 Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness, and Cooperation is part of the accession process.

The Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the EU, Ambassador Rumen Alexandrov, who heads the Bulgarian delegation to participate in the regular meeting of the General Affairs Council, expressed Bulgaria's readiness to continue direct dialogue with Skopje with a view to resolving non-compliance issues related to the Treaty and the protection of the rights of citizens with Bulgarian identity. Bulgaria reaffirmed its support for the consensus on the adoption of the Negotiating Framework and the convening of the first Intergovernmental Conference with Albania on its own merits. Our country remains committed to the European perspective of the six countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey.

/BGNES