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Berlin is determined to take the next step in EU enlargement before the end of the year, German top diplomat Heiko Maas said on Monday.
“Bulgaria’s interests in the Republic of North Macedonia must be protected so that the process of European integration continues and the European Council cannot solve bilateral problems.”added.
Maas and the Foreign Ministers of Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Ekaterina Zaharieva and Bujar Osmani, participated in a videoconference following a meeting of participants in the Berlin Process, which aims to help the countries of the Western Balkans join the EU.
“The European Union has 27 member states and one of them is Bulgaria. That is why the interests of Bulgaria must be protected. For a negotiation framework to be approved, the vote of all member states is needed. There is no way that the European Council solve bilateral problems. ,, Maas said.
However, Bulgaria is refusing to approve the negotiating framework of the Republic of North Macedonia, which will be discussed at the General Affairs Council meeting on November 17, as Bulgaria’s requirements for Skopje are not reflected in it. However, the three indicated that the talks would continue in search of a way out of the impasse.
Germany will hold the rotating presidency of the EU until the end of the year, and moving the EU enlargement process forward is one of its top priorities. However, Skopje has effectively blocked negotiations with Bulgaria and has refused to comply with its requirements. On the other hand, EU members do not accept Sofia’s reservations to enter the negotiation framework.
However, Chancellor Ekaterina Zaharieva confirmed that Sofia will not review her position and will stop Skopje on its way to the European Union if open problems are not resolved.
According to her, the rulers of both countries have a debt not only with future generations, but also with the present.
Reconciliation will not be possible if pending issues are not resolved, she said.
Zaharieva commented that the 2017 Neighborhood Agreement has all the guarantees to solve the outstanding problems, but Skopje is not implementing it.
In recent months, our neighbor to the south-west has had more than 10,000 negative posts using hate speech against Bulgaria.
Historians to deal with history
Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, for his part, said that historians must resolve historical controversies.
Under the agreement, a joint historical commission was formed, but did not meet for almost a year, as Macedonian officials wanted to wait for a government to form in Skopje.
“We must adhere to the framework and instruments of the agreement with the Republic of Bulgaria. We believe that the negotiation process is not just bureaucracy. Our approach is to continue to respect the agreement and its instruments.”said the Macedonian foreign minister.
Berlin: a solution must be found
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pointed out that Bulgaria and the Socialist Republic of Macedonia must resolve their differences or the enlargement process will not be able to move forward.
“If a Member State has problems with a candidate country like North Macedonia or Albania, it should proceed to soften that relationship.” he pointed.
“We are talking to Bulgaria about the existing problem. Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia must resolve the existing contradictions. Otherwise, the accession and enlargement process will not be able to advance.” Maas added.
The rotating presidency of the German EU has set itself the goal of advancing the enlargement process of the union.
Skopje blockade puts Bulgaria in international isolation
“I am skeptical of the very idea of blocking North Macedonia’s negotiations with the EU, because it works completely in favor of Macedonianism and generates very serious anti-Bulgarian sentiment in our neighbor and puts Bulgaria in international isolation, within the European Union and in the region, committing our own priority during the presidency of the Council of the EU on the accession of the Western Balkans “, commented Lyubomir Kyuchukov, diplomat and director of the Institute of Economics and International Relations.
“I am afraid that the situation is blocked, both with regard to the candidacy of the Republic of North Macedonia (PCM) and, unfortunately, Albania, as well as from the point of view of bilateral relations, which is an element negative”.the former Deputy Foreign Minister told Bulgarian National Radio.
According to the diploma, there is no understanding in bilateral relations because they are a function of political discourse.
“At the moment, dialogue at the diplomatic level is extremely difficult,” he said.
Kyuchukov explained that North Macedonia’s agreements with Greece and Bulgaria are radically different.
“Greece is trying to show that it has nothing in common with PCM, and we are trying to show that we have everything in common, so for us it is a matter of process, because it is about people’s conscience.”
Greece’s problems end with the signing of the agreement with PCM, and the solution of the problems between Bulgaria and North Macedonia begins with the signing of the agreement.
“This is a treaty that provides the basis, because without it Bulgaria would not even have the opportunity to raise the issue in the EU,” he said.
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