site.btaRuling Coalition Parties Adamant There Are no Attempts to Bypass Consensus on North Macedonia

Parties of of parties in the ruling coalition Thursday were adamant that no attempts are being made to bypass the political consensus on North Macedonia. They commented the matter following a Facebook post by There Is Such a People (TISP) leader Slavi Trifonov, who criticized Prime Minister Kiril Petkov for attempting to go around the coalition agreement and give fast green light to North Macedonia’s EU accession talks. It also became clear that Bulgaria’s position on Skopje’s integration in the EU was discussed at a meeting of visiting EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with the leaders of the parties in the government coalition.

Continue the Change, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and Democratic Bulgaria were adamant that secret plans and agreements concerning North Macedonia cannot be made. 

Continue the Change Floor Leader Andrey Gurov said that various options are being discussed, but the question of lifting the veto is not among them yet. Talks with Skopje will continue considering the commitments undertaken by Bulgaria, without changing the country's position, Gurov added. According to him, at this stage there is no decision to lift the veto in June and there are no behind-the-scene discussions. The talks are based on arguments, are held in an open manner and the consultation are intense, in order to defend Bulgaria’s national interests, Gurov said. 

BSP Floor Leader Georgi Svilenski told journalists in Parliament that his party’s position on North Macedonia has not changed and that since BSP is part of the government coalition, Bulgaria’s position cannot change now. He said the rumors that the issue will be solved by June are not true and that it would be unrealistic to fulfill by then all obligations in the good-neighbourliness treaty between Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

Democratic Bulgaria Floor Leader Hristo Ivanov told journalists in Parliament that “secret deals on lifting the veto will not be made, because a decision about a possible change in the Bulgarian position or some other agreement, can only be made by the National Assembly”. Bulgaria has a framework position regarding North Macedonia that binds the Government, and this position has been confirmed by the political forces in the National Assembly of the National Security Advisory Council with the President. In this sense, one cannot undertake personal commitments, no matter who that is, Ivanov added.

He said that the complexity of the issue was discussed at a meeting of the government coalition leaders with von der Leyen earlier on Thursday and the Bulgarian politicians explained the highlights of Bulgaria’s framework position. A change in Bulgaria's position would require a serious commitment by the European institutions to defend it, Ivanov added. According to him, the situation is not just an issue between Sofia and Skopje, but also between an EU member state and a candidate for membership. 

Ivanov noted that the question how European institutions can help was also discussed. “There is no pressure or arm-twisting. Bulgaria’s European partners are seeking ways to help us, because we have to defend our national interests and those include North Macedonia becoming part of the European family with us”, Ivanov said. He added that no one can impose deadlines on Bulgaria and no deadlines have been set. 

The Bulgarian position

In November 2020, Bulgaria vetoed the negotiation framework for North Macedonia's planned accession to the European Union. The Bulgarian Government put forward strict demands on Skopje in a framework position endorsed by the National Assembly (Parliament). Sofia wants its neighbour to give up hate speech against Bulgarians, reconsider what Bulgaria sees as a distorted view on the two countries' common history, and protect the rights of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia. Sofia also refuses to recognize the existence of a "Macedonian minority" in Bulgaria. It argues that the Macedonian language is, essentially, a dialect of Bulgarian. Bulgaria has deplored North Macedonia's perceived failure to implement the bilateral Treaty on Friendship, Good-Neighbourliness and Cooperation, signed in 2017.