site.btaForeign Ministry on Bundestag's Declaration on Republic of North Macedonia

The declaration of the Bundestag is an internal act that does not change the decisions taken by the European Council in July 2022 on North Macedonia's path to the EU, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on Friday evening. The declaration in no way changes Bulgaria's national position, reaffirmed by the decision of the 47th National Assembly of Bulgaria in adopting the July 2022 compromise, the statement adds.

The declaration contains no new points regarding the process of European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia.

The declaration essentially supports the process of changing the constitution of North Macedonia to guarantee equal rights and freedoms for Bulgarians with the other peoples in North Macedonia. This is also a fundamental demand of the Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia.

The document does not encourage attempts to renegotiate or neglect elements of the compromise reached in 2022.

In line with the conclusions reached by the European Council (EC) and the Negotiating Framework, it is important to achieve tangible results and to implement in good faith the agreements between the two countries, including the Prespa Agreement and the 2017 Treaty of Friendship, Goodneighbourliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria, as well as the Protocols of the joint intergovernmental meetings under Article 12 of the Treaty. The EC took note in a declaration in July 2022 of Bulgaria's position on the official language of the Republic of North Macedonia, which remains unchanged.