site.btaUPDATED Sofia Parliament Adopts Declaration to Deplore Disruption of Dialogue with Skopje by North Macedonia Officials' Rhetoric

In a unanimous vote of 178-0 and without debate Thursday, Parliament adopted a declaration over what it calls "systematic and methodical disruption of dialogue between the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria with provocative and insulting statements against Bulgaria by government representatives" in Skopje.

Parliament urges resumption of "the positive dialogue that was disrupted by the Republic of North Macedonia and ending the anti-Bulgarian campaign and provocative statements against Bulgaria".

The declaration reconfirms Bulgaria's political will to finish the construction of Corridor VIII on the Bulgarian side and calls on the government in Skopje to approach responsibly all commitment the country has made, and the agreements, with a view to the timely construction of the corridor on its territory.

The declaration confirms the will of Bulgaria and its institutions to organize joint celebrations of common historical events and personalities, given the rich common history of the two countries. Moreover, the National Assembly strongly disagrees with the denial of the common history of the Republic of North Macedonia and Bulgaria by members of the government of the Republic of North Macedonia, which is a direct violation of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation that the two countries signed in 2017.

The preamble of the declaration calls on the institutions in the Republic of North Macedonia, in the spirit of European values and freedoms, to refrain from decisions and actions that would seriously harm the relations between the two countries and their citizens. The declaration also reaffirms the fundamental importance of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation, the significance of the bilateral Protocols of the meetings of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission in 2019 and 2022, as well as the decision of the 47th National Assembly in relation to the enlargement of the European Union and the negotiation process with the Republic of North Macedonia of June 24, 2022, as well as the declaration of February 2, 2023, in relation to the escalating aggressive anti-Bulgarian manifestations in the Republic of North Macedonia.