site.btaPresident Plevneliev: Bulgaria Ready to Render Any Support to Macedonia in Solving Political Crisis

President Plevneliev: Bulgaria Ready to Render Any Support to Macedonia in Solving Political Crisis

Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - Bulgaria is ready to render any support sought by the institutions in Macedonia to solve the current political crisis there, President Rosen Plevnliev said, quoted by his press secretariat, during a meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Gjorge Ivanov on Tuesday. Ivanov is paying a visit to Sofia to attend a summit meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) on Wednesday.

Plevneliev said that Bulgaria extends a hand of support to Macedonia but that the latter's political parties and leaders bear the historical responsibility of restoring dialogue and finding a legitimate way out of the crisis.

Ivanov said that at the background of extreme confrontation in Macedonia the presidential institution is the sole factor for safeguarding the country's stability. The two heads of State concurred that the quick holding of parliamentary elections in Macedonia and the appointment of a legitimate government is the only way to find a lasting solution to the political crisis.

Plevneliev thanked Ivanov for the information about the dynamics of the migratory routes in Southeast Europe and noted the good cooperation between the relevant institutions in this respect. Ivanov said that his country spares no effort in coping with the migration pressure and urged for more active support from the EU.

The two presidents took a stand for faster completion of the talks on signing a bilateral agreement on good neighbourliness and cooperation which will give a fresh boost of the process of European integration of Macedonia. Plevneliev once again called for joint celebration by the two neighbours of a historical event which he said "will lead to a real breakthrough in the bilateral relations and have a strong symbolic significance in the region".

On Wednesday Prime Minister Boyko Borissov conferred with Ivanov, the government's information service said. In the talks Borissov expressed concern with the situation in Macedonia, saying that it can only be solved through dialogue among all political parties, through carrying out the necessary reforms in the interest of the people and complying with the agreements that have been reached.

Borissov and Ivanov too took a stand in favour of the faster completion of the talks on the bilateral agreement on good neighbourliness and cooperation.

The two also discussed other topics, including the migration crisis, the Middle East, and the European integration of the Western Balkans.