North Macedonia’s foreign minister called on the EU Tuesday (15 December) to end the “blackmail” of his country through the imposition by Bulgaria of fresh obstacles to its membership of the bloc.

North Macedonia changed its name last year to end a dispute with Greece which had been blocking its EU ambitions, but now it faces opposition from Bulgaria over interpretation of common history.

“The European process should not entail the blackmail of any country of Europe or the Western Balkans,” Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said at an online press conference from Prague.

“Our efforts at good relations with neighbours have not been rewarded,” Osmani said, adding that the spat with Bulgaria would have a negative impact on the entire Balkans region.

Bulgaria blocked discussions among EU ministers on North Macedonia’s bid to start negotiations to join the bloc in November. The veto also prevented Albania from starting accession talks, as in terms of EU enlargement, the EU treats Skopje and Tirana as a package.https://www.euroactive.com