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© Georgi Kozhukharov
Krassimir Karakachanov Defense Committee
Bulgaria must oppose the first intergovernmental conference between North Macedonia and the European Union, if it adheres to national and European interests. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Krassimir Karakachanov for TV Europe.
“Bulgaria is not against it, but will say that it is not the time to set a date for the first intergovernmental conference. When someone is not ready to appear in the first grade, there is pre-school preparation,” added Karakachanov. he is currently speaking on behalf of the government. “
With his comment on this issue (the interview is partly available here, partly quoted by BGNES), Karakachanov is making good on his threat to Bulgaria to block the start of negotiations between North Macedonia and the EU. As president of the EU Council, Germany expects the first conference, the true start of negotiations, after EU leaders formally endorsed the possibility, by the end of this year. However, unanimity is necessary among the EU countries.
Earlier this month, he warned for the first time in an interview with Macedonian television that a blockade by Bulgaria was a possible scenario if Skopje did not solve its historical bilateral problems with Sofia and adhere to the 2017 Neighborhood Agreement. Revolutionary Gotse Delchev. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev intends to discuss the issue with his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov, whom he will visit in the coming weeks, the first overseas visit in Zaev’s new term.
“Nikola Dimitrov did nothing for 3 years”
In yesterday’s interview, however, Karakachanov went further. He recalled that Bulgaria, already in its approval (in October 2018) for the beginning of negotiations of principles, has stated that compliance with the agreement (and this includes the resolution of historical issues) will oppose the intergovernmental conference.
The deputy prime minister accused former foreign minister (and in Zaev’s new cabinet, European Integration minister) Nikola Dimitrov of having done nothing for three years to improve bilateral relations.
Referring to the head of Macedonia’s joint history commission, Dragi Georgiev, he added: “These people do not intend to have a frank dialogue with Bulgaria. They think they can cover things up. They imagine someone in Brussels or around the world will press Bulgaria and we will squat down. Obviously they did not understand what the EU is and how it works. They had three years to re-educate. “
According to him, this is not a change in Bulgarian policy towards North Macedonia, but adherence to the government position approved by parliament.
“Bridges with the help of Bulgarian partners”
Bulgaria’s position became an issue among European politicians after a memorandum sent to member states by the Bulgarian government and leaked to the Macedonian media. However, positions demanding that the EU side with Bulgaria in historical disputes and accept Macedonians and the Macedonian language as artificially created have not been publicly endorsed by any country.
A Euronews correspondent also announced last week that all EU countries are against Bulgaria on the issue, only wanting the bilateral dispute to be part of the negotiating framework.
At the end of the year, Germany, as president of the EU Council, gave a signal at least twice that it accepted the Bulgarian position. BNR quotes the Minister for European Affairs in Berlin, Michael Roth, according to which the EU will not ask North Macedonia for new criteria and conditions for EU membership, other than the previous ones. According to him, “we would like to build reliable bridges with the help of our Bulgarian partners.”
According to Karakachanov, these are not new criteria, but “a very clear criterion from the beginning of the existence of the EU: each candidate country has clarified the problems with its neighbors before starting negotiations”.
Earlier, the German ambassador in Skopje said that there should be no bilateral problems in the negotiating framework. Last month, Susanne Schutz, director of the Western Balkans department at the German Foreign Ministry, said Berlin wanted the first intergovernmental conference by the end of the year and that disputes like the one between North Macedonia and Bulgaria should be resolved “in the spirit of good neighborly relations “. .
