Bulgarian Foreign Ministry ready to sign the protocol, Radev expected more

Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria / Photo: EPA-EFE / VASSIL DONEV

It is time for the responsible factors in the Republic of Northern Macedonia, not in words, but in deeds, to show their commitment and desire for their own and European future in the region, reads the statement of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bulgarian MFA ready to resume signing Neighborhood Agreement Implementation Protocol, after the Bulgarian National Assembly previously gave the green light to the French presidency 's proposal to start negotiations on Northern Macedonia' s EU accession. The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it is ready to continue with the signing of the Protocol, in accordance with Article 12 of the Friendship and Good Neighbor Agreement with the Republic of Northern Macedonia.

On the other hand, the Bulgarian president Rumen Radev, behind the French proposal for Northern Macedonia, who passed to the Bulgarian MPs, said that contains many of the basic Bulgarian requirements, but could have been even more successful if politicians paid more attention to the whole process.

It depends on you how fast you will become an EU member, said Sofia

A statement from the Bulgarian Ministry said that "it is time for the responsible factors in the Republic of Northern Macedonia, not in words, but in deeds, to show their commitment and desire for their own and European future in the region."

"The speed with which the Republic of Northern Macedonia will join the European Union depends on it and will not be delayed if the country fulfills its obligations in terms of European values ​​and good neighborly relations," reads a statement from the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev commented that the French proposal could have been even more successful "if the foreign ministry diplomats had not relied solely on the presidential institution and spent a lot of time and energy to put the prime minister's divergent policy within acceptable limits."

- I have long insisted that the Macedonian Bulgarians be written in the Constitution. "Paradoxically, it was easier to convince the French president and European leaders than the Bulgarian prime minister, whose cabinet did not take responsibility for its actions and did not give enough time to Bulgarian institutions to get acquainted with the case," Radev said.

He added that regarding the guarantees for the cultural-historical heritage, there are no necessary mechanisms and deadlines for protection.

- The MPs voted with a blank check, there are no necessary mechanisms and deadlines for protection. The next Bulgarian governments will be in the current situation, to have fruitless disputes with the Macedonian side - said Radev.

Radev said he had insisted that Macedonian Bulgarians be included in the constitution, but that all parties except ITN had rejected the proposal. According to him, it was accepted when he came through the mediation of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

Ninova: Our red lines are not fully respected

The resigned Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Socialists, Cornelia Ninova, also reacted to the unsigned protocol yesterday. did not fully respect their so-called red lines for the implementation of the bilateral cooperation agreement by the country.

Ninova said that the decision says that the negotiations will start after Skopje changes the Constitution and includes local Bulgarians in it, which according to her is a good proposal, but still it refers to a bilateral protocol that has not been signed. According to Ninova, Bulgarian interests are "not protected" so far, because the protocol has not been signed.

Bulgaria's National Assembly on Friday approved a document known to the public as a "French proposal" to unblock the European route to northern Macedonia. The decision gives the green light to the government in the resignation of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov "to approve the negotiating framework and conclusions proposed by the French presidency with the EU Council to resolve the complex relations between Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia if several conditions are met." It requires: effective implementation of the Good Neighbor Agreement, guarantee of the rights of Bulgarians in the Republic of Northern Macedonia through their insertion in the Constitution, nothing in the accession process of RSM to be interpreted as recognition of the Macedonian language by Bulgaria and EU guarantees that all this will be fulfilled.

 

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