site.btaNorth Macedonia Foreign Minister Osmani:  Progress Has Been Made in Talks with Bulgaria, but Differences Still Exist

BTA correspondent Marinela Velichkova
 

North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani told a weekly news briefing that some progress has been made in negotiations with Bulgaria but differences have not been overcome yet.

Osmani said that both countries understand the gravity of the moment and the implications of the unblocking within the framework of the new geopolitical context and that he expects soon another meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov.

“We have been discussing the same issues: the implementation of the Gooodneighbourliness Treaty of 2017 and the 5+1 political package until we can agree a comprehensive protocol that has to be adopted as an instrument under article 12 of the Treaty and this is the solution,” said Osmani. He added that the Macedonian government will inform the public and the MPs before these decisions are formalized.

Osmani did not rule out a possibility if the first intergovernmental conferences with North Macedonia and Albania do not take place in June that Albania will ask to be separated in the process of EU integration. “If this happens, we’ll be isolated and under greater pressure to make bigger concessions,” said Osmani.

Meanwhile MIA reported that TAV Macedonia’s rainbow-shaped water bridge on Saturday morning welcomed Gullivair’s aircraft, a 70-seat economy class plane, which landed at Skopje International Airport at 5:48 am and marked the start of the first regular commercial Sofia - Skopje air service in 15 years. Minister of Transport and Communications Blagoj Bochvarski welcomed the first passengers off the plane.