site.btaVP Iotova: Bulgaria Is Determined to Stand by Its Position on North Macedonia, We Have National Consensus about That

Vice President Iliana Iotova said here Saturday that Bulgaria is determined to stand by its position on the start of EU accession talks with Skopje, for which it has a national consensus. "Including Bulgarians in the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia is a statesmanly act and a condition for future EU membership. The Constitution is the highest guarantee and we insist for one," she said in Bitola where she was invited by the Ivan Mihailov  Cultural Centre.

Iotova said that the rights of Bulgarians are the topmost condition for the start of North Macedonia's EU accession, and there need to be very specific commitments and deadlines for that.

Turning to the Bulgarians in North Macedonia, she said: "In the family of the European peoples, you are free to call yourselves Bulgarians, to proudly name your families and speak the language you want and honour your Bulgarian heritage."

The Vice President was adamant that Skopje's path to the EU "will be opened when they walk it together with Bulgaria, resolve the bilateral disputes and show tangible results". "There is no way this can happen with pressure from the outside."

She also said: "The lies and the prejudices soaked with hate speech are poison that our parents had to drink but we won't give the same to our children. Our common history and memory are indivisible."

Iotova conveyed greetings from President Rumen Radev. "I assure you that we will continue, at all levels - national and international, to raise the issue of your rights in North Macedonia as the most important condition for the future membership of this country in the EU," she said as she turned to Bulgarians attending the opening of a new club of the Ivan Mihailov Cultural Centre.