site.btaParliament Ratifies North Macedonia's NATO Accession Protocol

February 20 (BTA) - At its sitting on Wednesday, Bulgaria's National Assembly ratified unanimously, with the votes of all 140 MPs present, the NATO Accession Protocol of the Republic of North Macedonia. The sitting was attended by North Macedonia's Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi.

A report of the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee presented the chronology of North Macedonia's accession process, starting with NATO' 2008 Bucharest Summit where it was decided to invite the country to join the Alliance once a mutually acceptable solution to the name dispute with Greece was found, and ending with the signing of the Accession Protocol by the 29 member countries' Permanent Representatives to NATO on February 6, 2019.

The Committee's report says that Bulgaria actively contributed to the decision on North Macedonia's inclusion in the active dialogue for partnership with NATO as early as in 2008. By signing the bilateral Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighbourliness and Cooperation in Skopje on August 1, 2017, Bulgaria reconfirmed its support for North Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration. Wednesday's ratification of the Accession Protocol confirms Bulgaria's consistent policy on establishing lasting security and prosperity in the region.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said in the plenary chamber that Bulgaria has consistently supported the Western Balkan countries' entry in NATO. North Macedonia's entry in the Alliance marks a new stage in bilateral cooperation with Bulgaria, she noted.

Bulgaria will continue to encourage and support North Macedonia on its path to the EU, Zaharieva also said, adding that she is confident the accession negotiations will begin in June 2019. "I am confident that the right lessons have been learned from the mistakes of the past, and that the future ahead of us is a common one, just like our past is," the Foreign Minister said.

MPs of GERB, the United Patriots and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), and independent MP Spas Panchev addressed Parliament.

GERB Floor Leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov recalled that Bulgaria was the first country to recognize Macedonia's independence. He said that NATO will bring greater security to the region and that Talat Xhaferi has shown how protecting North Macedonia's interests can help protect the entire region's interests.

MRF Floor Leader Mustafa Karadayi said that his party has consistently supported the path of Euro-Atlantic development. "We believe that this is the path to strong and stable Balkans, to peace and prosperity, to countering nationalism and populism," he noted.

The United Patriots called for strict observation of the bilateral Treaty of Friendship.

Ataka leader Volen Siderov proposed that an annex to the Treaty be adopted to guarantee that there will be no encroachments on Bulgarian history.

MP Yulian Angelov (VMRO) said that the two countries will be better off if they do not live in lies and if they support each other.

In his words, the next step is to bring down the border between the two countries which is what will happen when North Macedonia joint the EU.

National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria (NFSB) leader Valeri Simeonov said he supports North Macedonia's NATO membership but is not happy with the way Macedonia's citizens of Bulgarian self-consciousness get treated. "Our common history calls for a more equitable attitude and observation of the rights of all Bulgarians in North Macedonia," he argued.

According to him, North Macedonia should rectify its behaviour and put an end to the destruction of Bulgarian monuments.

At a joint news conference with her North Macedonian counterpart Xhaferi, National Assembly Chair Tsveta Karayancheva said that Wednesday's ratification of the Accession Protocol shows Bulgaria's resolution to continue solving the problems in the region and caring for collective security not only in the Balkans but also in Europe.

For a very long time, the Balkans were a byword for confrontation but the example that Bulgaria and North Macedonia gave firmly confirmed the common determination to work for peace, stability and sovereignty, Karayancheva also said.

Xhaferi said he is confident that having Bulgaria as a neighbour is a strong guarantee that North Macedonia, as well as the entire Balkan region, will develop in the right direction: one that brings peace, stability, progress and prosperity. "It is good to have true friends; the feeling is even better when they are our immediate neighbours," he added.

LI/DS/СН/