The President of the PES, Sergei Stanishev stated that he supports the Prime Minister's approach to expanding the topics of dialogue with Northern Macedonia

Asked about Kiril Petkov's visit to Northern Macedonia, Stanishev said:

"My assessment is quite positive. There has been a lot of criticism, but the gesture itself is in our interest, we are in a stronger position in this dispute as an EU member. This visit creates an informal attitude and shows goodwill. The most important thing is to get out of last year's speech - an ultimatum on the one hand and a counter-ultimatum on the other. Bulgaria has a clear position, voted by the National Assembly, which does not leave much room for maneuver. The Macedonian side also has an inflexible position. Therefore, it is the responsibility of politicians to find a solution. "Of course, it is in Bulgaria's long-term interest for all countries in the region to join the EU."

The leader of the European left said compromises were a matter of very poor balance.

"I approve of the approach of shifting the focus from purely historical disputes to unifying things. "We will inevitably find the need to resolve the most sensitive issues, but we can not remain in this closed position, which is very convenient for some politicians - to hide behind the national interest, but in the end it does not serve the long-term Bulgarian interest."