Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov Today in Skopje he comes with his own proposal for resolving the dispute, with a request for the Bulgarians to enter the Macedonian Constitution, but also with a confirmed position that there are no Macedonians in Bulgaria and that will not be discussed. At the meeting with the newly elected Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, Petkov will present the proposal for establishing five working groups on economy, infrastructure, European integration, culture and historical issues, which would meet once a month and with intensive work would lead to compromises. on both sides. Petkov will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska and Minister of Transport and Communications Nikolay Sabev.

Yesterday Petkov congratulated Kovacevski took office as prime minister and wished success to the new government.

- I expect to work together on a new constructive dialogue and understanding in the interest of our bilateral relations, the development of which is of great benefit to the citizens of Bulgaria and the Republic of Northern Macedonia - Petkov wrote on the official Facebook page of the Bulgarian government.

According to him, Bulgaria's position on Macedonia's European perspective is consistent and clear, and good neighborliness can bring serious benefits not only for both countries but for the entire region.

In the days before his visit to Skopje, Petkov gave intensive interviews to Bulgarian and Macedonian media, and three days ago he told BTV that he had never talked to the US Embassy about recognizing the so-called Macedonian minority in the country.

- There is no such minority and such a minority can not be talked about - said Petkov.

He says Bulgaria wants the Bulgarian minority in Macedonia to be included in the country's constitution, adding that it has never set an exact deadline for resolving the dispute, meaning that "RSM will join the EU when Bulgaria's position is harmonized."

On this attitude of Petkov OMO "Ilinden Pirin" reacted fiercely", The banned party of Macedonians in Bulgaria, which said that the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria has been and will be.

- The voice of those who deny is not of any value and importance, but the voice of those who self-determine and will continue to self-determine as Macedonians, such as their fathers and grandfathers. This is the last totalitarian policy in the EU and as such it is a Bulgarian shame for Europe - it is said, among other things, in the reaction of OMO "Ilinden Pirin".

Minister of European Integration Bojan Maricic Regarding the denial of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria, he said yesterday that we do not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and at this moment it would not be productive "to state and define what ethnic community exists in any of the countries in the region."

- We are guided by European principles and practices and it will remain so, it is our constitutional obligation. "Every group of people, ethnic community or political party or association has the right to claim their rights through the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights or the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights," Maricic said.

According to pthe chairman of the Council of Ambassadors, Muhammad Khalili, Petkov's visit is positive, because Bulgaria is expected to take a concrete step towards unblocking relations.

- His statements are in a good line, but not everything depends on him. Bulgaria has had an inter-party agreement since 1911 to always have a consensus on the country's foreign affairs. And the question is whether Petkov will have the strength to overcome that consensus, which has a tradition of decades. His wish is seen, but he has company in the government, ministers from other parties…

Most importantly, this process is time consuming and can not be overcome by working alone on working groups or committees. Petkov is now looking for ways to unblock, he wants to be able to say in front of the voters that they have set conditions, we have met them and that is why now the process is moving forward.

The request to change our Constitution is a way out of the previous position when too harsh conditions were set for us, which did not find support at all from the Western partners. The Bulgarians were left alone. "They have plowed deep, come up with maximalist demands, unapproved by the world, and now they are looking for a soft way to withdraw from those impossible demands," Khalili told the Free Press.

He says that Macedonia and Albania have been stalled for several years, but he is convinced that by the end of this year the two countries will start negotiations.

- Macron has stated that this will not happen during the French presidency of the EU, but the efforts will continue during the Swedish presidency. "France is now interested in unblocking it, because Macron needs Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has a role to play in the process of resolving the dispute between Kosovo and Serbia," Halili said.

Professor Nenad Markovic says that he is moderately pessimistic before the visit of the Bulgarian Prime Minister, because it has been announced many times that the dispute will be resolved.

- The problem is not in Petkov, he has a coalition government with the Socialists and the party of Slavi Trifonov, who before coming to Skopje warned him not to soften his position. It is a complex coalition and we can expect to meet from the meeting - Markovic said for "Utrinski briefing" on Slobodna TV.

According to him, former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev unjustifiably instilled optimism for a speedy resolution of the dispute.

"Change can happen if there is a dramatic deviation from either side," he said.