President Stevo Pendarovski doesn’t expect Bulgaria’s April 4 election to reverse Sofia’s positions toward Skopje. In an interview with Klan TV on Monday evening, North Macedonia’s head of state said both Bulgaria’s opposition and government were maintaining their “tough stance toward our country, so whoever wins the election won’t really change things.”

The president hopes, however, that “our European friends in Brussels will help us find a formulation that will not deny our fundamental right to feeling and declaring our national identity so we can start our negotiations with the EU.”

Asked about Sofia’s positions about the Macedonian identity, language, and minority in Bulgaria, Pendarovski said no country should interfere in another country’s internal affairs.

“Their thesis is that we should stop any attempts to install a Macedonian minority in Bulgaria. The number one principle in international relations, especially after 1945, is non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries,” Pendarovski said.

“This is why we cannot and do not want to interfere in Bulgaria’s internal policy.

“However, if someone individually declares himself as a Macedonian and seeks this right from the Council of Europe or other human rights organizations, this doesn’t mean that someone from Skopje instructed and paid him.

“There are people who declare themselves as Macedonians in Greece as well. We did not renounce them in the Prespa Agreement.”

Pendarovski also expects stronger US engagement in the Western Balkans following Joe Biden’s victory, considering there are people in his administration who have direct experience in regional matters.

“Victoria Nuland is one of them,” Pendarovski said. “She has a personal relationship with us, North Macedonia, as well as with the region.”