Former Bulgarian Prime Minister and Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party leader Boyko Borissov said Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov should formally submit the French proposal to unblock North Macedonia’s EU integration process to Bulgaria’s Parliament, stressing that all of his party’s 59 Members of Parliament would vote for it, informs MIA.
According to MIA’s Sofia correspondent, Borissov held a special briefing at the GERB headquarters and echoed the sentiment of Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev that “the proposal for [unblocking] North Macedonia given by the French EU Presidency is the best.”
Earlier today, the Bulgarian president had said the French proposal was the best one Bulgaria had gotten so far. He added, however, that Bulgarian politicians should not rush into claiming a “historic victory” because he said it did not sufficiently guarantee that Bulgaria’s interests would be protected. Borissov, on the other hand, described the French proposal as “the best solution for the future of the Balkans, the EU and Bulgaria.”
He pointed out that it should be adopted by a large parliamentary majority including lawmakers from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms; We Continue the Change; and Democratic Bulgaria parties. The GERB leader also read the Bulgarian Holy Synod’s decision to recognize the Macedonian Orthodox Church, likening it to GERB’s position in support of the French proposal.
“We won’t stay in Euroasia’s dark side and we won’t consent to be Putinized,” Borissov said. According to him, GERB lawmakers will vote for all motions guaranteeing Bulgaria’s Euro-Atlantic orientation, such as joining the Eurozone, EU enlargement with the Western Balkans, and strengthening NATO’s role.
