site.btaConsultative Meeting Reviews Bulgaria's Relations with North Macedonia

September 30 (BTA) - A consultative meeting called by 
President Rumen Radev here on Monday reviewed Bulgaria's 
relations with North Macedonia in light of the results achieved
 by the Joint Multidisciplinary Commission of Experts on 
Historical and Educational Issues between the two countries and
 the expected invitation for North Macedonia to start 
negotiations on joining the European Union. Addressing the media
  after the meeting, President Radev said the participants
agreed  in principle on the need of urgent steps to come up with
 a  national position with clear requirements and criteria that
will  protect Bulgaria's national interest. Those requirements
and  criteria should be enshrined in the negotiating framework
and  become a mandatory condition for North Macedonia's
accession,  said Radev.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, 
Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, Defence Minister Krassimir
  Karakachanov, parliamentarians and the Bulgarian co-chair of 
the Joint Multidisciplinary Commission, Prof. Angel Dimitrov.

President Radev also told the media that Bulgaria has always 
supported North Macedonia's European and Euro-Atlantic 
perspective in a principled and consistent manner, recalling 
that Sofia was the first to recognize Skopje's independence and
 that a Treaty of Friendship, Goodneighbourliness and
Cooperation  was signed. The Treaty was expected to solve the
problems which  have built up in the course of decades and to
give an impetus  and a fresh perspective to the development of
bilateral  relations, but the lack of specific conditions,
benchmarks and  time frames in that Treaty meant that its
implementation lagged  dramatically behind the process of North
Macedonia's EU  integration. Despite the huge efforts made by
the Bulgarian  side, the joint commission on historical and
educational matters  has not achieved any particular results.
Things there have been  very alarming recently, and North
Macedonia's conduct also  causes insecurity and mistrust, said
Radev.

Special attention should be paid to school curricula and 
syllabi, textbook texts, the inscriptions in museums and on 
memorial plaques, and the positions of the public media, the 
President said. He stressed the importance of laying down red 
lines which are to guarantee that North Macedonia's EU 
integration will not take place with the Bulgarian history, 
language and identity used as a bargaining chip. Clear-cut 
conditions should be set in advance and failure to meet them 
should stop the transition to the next stages of the negotiating
  process, said Radev.
  
He also raised the matter of air policing in North Macedonia: 
"It was agreed in principle that the Bulgarian government will 
use all levers within NATO and in dialogue with our partners so
 as to partake responsibility and join in air policing duty on a
  rotating basis."
  
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told reporters after the meeting:
 "We have never stated that we support North Macedonia's EU 
membership unconditionally." He added: "Our position is clear: 
it is important that they are accepted in the EU, but they must
 understand that this depends on them and cannot happen at our 
expense by rewriting history."

"After October 17, when the meeting on North Macedonia's EU 
accession will be held in Brussels, we will have 71 instruments
 to halt its progress towards the EU, namely, the opening and 
closing of negotiating chapters," Borissov explained.

He said: "We used to say until recently that we were one people,
  let's assume we are fraternal peoples. We wish this
fratricidal  war waged by Skopje propaganda stopped because no
people is  closer to us," said Borissov.

Regarding NATO membership, the Prime Minister noted that North 
Macedonia can rely on Bulgaria and that Karakachanov is working
 hard on the matter.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva 
told reporters that Bulgaria should not stop North Macedonia's 
EU membership, but this is not unconditional and Bulgaria's 
national interests must be protected in the first place. 
Bulgaria should support North Macedonia's EU membership, but 
with clear and concrete conditions, she said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Krassimir 
Karakachanov said the work of the Joint Commission is 
unsatisfactory, the reason being Skopje's policy of buying time.
  There cannot be unconditional support for North Macedonia. "A
 clear position about [North] Macedonia's membership should be 
drafted within days, on which the parliamentary parties should 
reach a consensus," Karakachanov said, adding however, that the
 decision will be made by the Bulgarian Government. "[North] 
Macedonia's accession process should have clear conditions for
membership and there must be categorical results by October 17,"
  he added.

Borissov, Karakachanov and Zaharieva said they would like to see
 Albania and North Macedonia together on the path towards EU
membership.

Kristian Vigenin, who participated in the meeting in his 
capacity as Parliament's Deputy Chair, said that Bulgaria has 
always backed EU enlargement towards the countries of the 
Western Balkans, but it cannot happen contrary to the Bulgarian
 interest. Sofia should not admit to the EU a country which does
  not honour its goodneighbourly commitments, he said. "We
agreed  today that the government will issue a position within a
 few  days, then the BSP for Bulgaria will come up with its own
 position, and we will seek a joint position," said Vigenin.

Polina Tsankova, deputy leader of the Volya - Bulgarian Patriots
 Party, stated at the meeting that Bulgaria should not support
North Macedonia's bid for EU accession unless Skopje stops
manipulates the two countries' common history. The party's press
 office quoted Volya leader Vesselin Mareshki as saying a few
months ago that Sofia sets one more condition: regulation of the
 rights of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia and its
recognition in the country's Constitution.

* * *

MIA news agency quoted North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran
Zaev as saying on Monday: "A swift solution to the open issues
with Bulgaria is possible." He added: "There is no need for
concern, we are receiving the alarm and messages from Bulgaria.
The committees are already working, we will hold other meetings
and highlight that the ultimate goal is for both sides to be
satisfied with the solution."

"We would like to see bold steps, steps based on facts and
truth, and we are urging for a solution. I believe Bulgaria
should also demonstrate will as we have done," Zaev told
reporters. DS,RY/MY,DD