site.btaPresident Radev: Direct Dialogue on All Levels between Sofia and Skopje Essential for Resolving Sticking Points

Sofia, July 22 (BTA) - President Rumen Radev said here Thursday
that direct dialogue on all levels between Sofia and Skopje is
essential for resolving the sticking points. The President was
speaking at a meeting with the leadership of the Civil
Democratic Union of the Republic of North Macedonia.

"I appreciate highly the role of President Stevo Pendarovski and
 Prime Minister Zoran Zaev for restoring dialogue at the highest
 level. It is, however, time for these first steps to encourage
the state institutions and political parties in the Republic of
North Macedonia to engage in using the huge potential of
bilateral relations, rather than in creating new problems," the
Bulgarian head of State said during the meeting.

He also said that ending discrimination and respecting the
rights of Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia will be
an important sign of Skopje's "European maturity", to use
Radev's words.

He added that over 120,000 people in the Republic of North
Macedonia have Bulgarian passports and they expect the competent
 Bulgarian institutions to show stronger involvement in
resolving their problems.

The leader of the Civil Democratic Union, Petar Kolev, said that
 the thousands of people with Bulgarian roots in the Republic of
 North Macedonia, are looking forward to the day when their
country will start EU accession talks. He added that this is not
 going to happen if there is continued discrimination against
people in the Republic of North Macedonia who identify
themselves as Bulgarians.
 
This is why the Civil Democratic Union, which was largely
founded by Macedonian Bulgarians, is prepared to work honestly
and seek and propose solutions for getting through this
turbulent period, so Skopje can start accession talks with the
EU, said Kolev.

He said that his party will ask to meet with the President and
Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia to share with
them its ideas for resolving the problems in relations with
Bulgaria.

Despite pressure from fellow EU members, Bulgaria persistently
refuses to give a green light to the start of EU accession talks
 with North Macedonia before it ends the discrimination against
people of Bulgarian origin and hate speech, and revises school
books which distort historic facts.

In an interview for the Conflict Zone political talk show of
Deutsche Welle on Thursday, Prime Minister Zaev said that Sofia
has become a problem for his country's EU accession, but he is
hopeful the dispute with Bulgaria can be resolved after the
newly elected Bulgarian Parliament forms a government. NV/LN/