„It is completely unacceptable for me for Macedonia to receive support for EU accession negotiations.“
This was stated by the Minister of Defense Krassimir Karakachanov in his position sent to the media today. According to him, none of the conditions of the approved Framework Position has been met by the Macedonian side. In his position, the Minister emphasizes:
“First of all, I would like to note the efforts of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva and the Presidency of the European Union of the Federal Republic of Germany for their attempt to bring the positions of the Bulgarian and Macedonian sides closer.
I support the main findings of the Bulgarian Foreign Minister that the bilateral agreement between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Northern Macedonia is not observed by the Macedonian side. As a result, at this point, Sofia’s trust in Skopje has been lost due to the systematic failure of the Macedonian side to fulfill its commitments.
I remind you that from October 2019 there is a Framework Position, approved by the Bulgarian Parliament, clearly defining the terms and conditions under which Bulgaria will support the membership of the PCM in the European Union.
No condition of the Framework Position has been met by Macedonia, especially the conditions for progress in the work of the bilateral historical commission, which was virtually unilaterally blocked by the government in Skopje.
It remains completely unacceptable for me for Macedonia to receive support for starting EU negotiations by finding any compromise with the 1999 Declaration signed between the two countries, or without Skopje’s clear recognition of the Bulgarian roots of the modern Macedonian language. and history after 1944
I do not think that Bulgaria currently has guarantees from the Macedonian side for the implementation of the August 2017 Treaty and I do not accept that such guarantees can be statements of members of the Macedonian government, or only a declaration by them. The only guarantee could be a written annex to the Treaty of 2017, reflecting the Bulgarian Framework Position and the declaration of the Bulgarian Parliament of October 2019.
Otherwise, Bulgaria cannot support Macedonia’s European membership under any circumstances and under any external pressure, if for this purpose the Bulgarian side will have to sacrifice its national interests, admitting to the EU an anti-Bulgarian state ideology inherited from the time of communist Yugoslavia and – unfortunately, preserved with all efforts by the current government in Skopje.”
