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EKATERINA ZAHARIEVA
The decisive factor that led the Bulgarian government to refuse to accept the start of EU accession talks in North Macedonia is the lack of “guarantees for good neighborly relations and the implementation of bilateral agreements.” This is what Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said in front of the ARD study for Southeast Europe.
The head of Bulgarian diplomacy refers to the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborhood signed in 2017 between Sofia and Skopje. It agreed, among other things, to establish a joint commission of historians to resolve by consensus the historical controversies between the two countries.
“Bulgaria wants the historical truth to be recognized. This was not a problem for North Macedonia when it signed the treaty, a common history that would unite us, not divide us. That is the goal. We are not saying ‘These heroes are ours alone.’ “. and “These characters are common.” This is the modern thinking of two countries, especially if they want to be together in the European Union. It is impossible every time someone in North Macedonia publicly announces that one of these characters was a Bulgarian, to be subjected to a public lynching. 30 years after the fall of the totalitarian regime, totalitarian methods and approaches cannot be a state policy, “said Zaharieva, reports dnes.bg.
In Bulgaria, the language of the neighboring country is widely believed to be a Bulgarian dialect and not an independent language. It developed only after the creation of Yugoslavia in 1945 and the incorporation of the current territory of North Macedonia into the new state of Yugoslavia under the influence of the then communist leadership. Furthermore, Bulgaria rejects definitions such as “Macedonian” and “North Macedonian” and insists on speaking of the “official language of the Republic of North Macedonia”. This, in turn, has met with strong opposition from North Macedonia, especially after the two million inhabitants of the Balkan country, a candidate for EU membership since 2005, changed their country’s name to “Macedonia. del Norte “just two years ago. avoid Athens’ veto from joining the EU over a name dispute with Greece, the report said.
Bulgaria is also pushing for changes to textbooks in North Macedonia. In her interview with ARD, Foreign Minister Zaharieva gave the following example: “In the history textbooks of the Republic of North Macedonia, Bulgarians are still portrayed as fascists. How would you feel if, 75 years later from the end of the war, someone described you as fascists? “
The Bulgarian government will urge their fears to find their place in the negotiations for the accession of North Macedonia to the EU. North Macedonia must accept and agree to this negotiating framework:
I do not want to stop the Republic of North Macedonia. But if we do not have guarantees in the negotiation framework, it will be impossible to say yes. So, whether in the current or next Presidency, if our proposals are included in the negotiation framework, Bulgaria will be able to say ‘yes’. ”When asked about Bulgaria’s agreement to start EU accession negotiations in the spring of this year, which have already been postponed several times, Ekaterina Zaharieva again referred to the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighbor, which must be implemented: “Obviously, North Macedonia does not agree to monitor the implementation of the treaties of friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation and to be part of the negotiation framework. If it is said (in North Macedonia) that the treaty (with Bulgaria) must be respected, although now it is not respected, why is it a problem to put good neighborliness, which is a horizontal Maastricht criterion, in the framework of negotiation ? These texts are in the negotiation framework of Croatia. This is not a precedent, “said Zaharieva.
The report said the dispute between the two countries was over identity and language, history and sovereignty, a dispute that halted the EU enlargement process.
The language spoken by two million people in North Macedonia was a Bulgarian dialect and could not be called “Macedonian” or “North Macedonian”, but rather “the official language of the Republic of North Macedonia”. North Macedonia must recognize this before Bulgaria accepts a framework agreement to start EU accession negotiations. On Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Michael Roth said after talks with European EU ministers that, for this reason, accession talks with North Macedonia (and Albania) could not be approved this year.
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