It would be absurd Bulgaria to veto North Macedonia’s negotiations for joining the EU because it goes against Sofia’s official policy to support the Western Balkan countries in integrating into the bloc, Bulgarian experts agree.
Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev has said he doesn’t expect Bulgaria to block the start of EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia.
“I don’t expect Bulgaria to block the negotiations. The European integration of the Western Balkans is strategically important for Bulgaria. Moreover, it was within the Bulgarian presidency that it became a priority for Brussels. In this sense, a Bulgarian veto would be absurd. We would just look funny. Until yesterday we were fighting for the EU’s opening to North Macedonia, and today we want to stop them. Not that absurd things are not happening, but I’m convinced that neither the Government nor the President would allow Bulgaria to find itself in a situation of total isolation within the EU,” Krastev said in an interview with Bulgarian newspaper Dnevnik.
As regards the open letter from thirty Bulgarian intellectuals, historians and scholars against the memorandum that Sofia sent to the EC and the EU members, which outlines red lines on Skopje’s path towards the EU, Krastev points out it is an important letter, as its signatories include some of the most authoritative Bulgarian historians.
According to him, the start of negotiations between the EU and North Macedonia doesn’t mean that Bulgaria accepts Skopje’s theses.
“Brussels simply cannot replace the need for serious historical science,” political scientist Krastev pointed out.
Admiral Plamen Manushev, chairman of the Bulgarian parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, says the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Boyko Borissov and Zoran Zaev, are convinced that a solution to the disputes between the two countries will be found in the coming days, BGNES reports.
“Thе prосеss is еxtrеmеly intensive аnd I hоpе this will hаppеn in thе соming dаys. Primе Ministеr Zоrаn Zаеv аnd оur Primе Ministеr аrе соnvinсеd thаt suсh а sоlutiоn will bе fоund. Fоrеign Ministеr Еkаtеrinа Zаhаriеvа expressed Bulgаriа’s pоsitiоn tо thеir Fоrеign Ministеr. I firmly hоpе thаt we’ll find а sоlutiоn tо the disputе аnd stаrt thе prосеss,” Manushev sаid.
Admiral Manushev says he’s surprised by North Macedonia PM Zaev’s statement on Sunday that Bulgaria’s proposal was not in the spirit of good-neighborly relations, nor was it European.
“It wаs probably prоvоkеd by thе tаlks thаt Mасеdоniаn Fоrеign Ministеr Bujаr Оsmаni hаd in Sоfiа. I dоn’t knоw why hе sаid thаt, but wе sent а mеmоrаndum tо аll Еurоpеаn institutiоns, in whiсh wе outline оur rеquirеmеnts аnd rеd linеs thаt must be drawn аnd both parties need to reach a compromise,” Manushev noted.
He agrees with what PM Borissov had told FM Osmani that there’s an obligation to reach a compromise and resolve the issues.
“No Bulgarian wants us to be an obstacle to the EU integration of North Macedonia, which is a brotherly country and brotherly people,” says the chairman of the Bulgarian parliamentary committee on foreign affairs.
In addition, Admiral Manushev points out that the parliaments of the two countries can also help in the process of finding a solution.
Over the weekend, PM Zoran Zaev said that Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva had presented proposals to her counterpart Bujar Osmani when he was in an official visit to Sofia last week. He called them as being ‘neither in the good neighborly nor in European spirit.’
“If it isn’t changed, we should prepare the Macedonian people that the first intergovernmental conference might not be held as we have expected in December. But, I do believe that PM Borissov, who is my friend and brother, doesn’t agree with that and I also believe the Bulgarian people also don’t agree with it,” he said, noting that efforts would be made in the coming days for a solution to be found.
In the meantime, the joint commission of experts from North Macedonia and Bulgaria on historical issues will meet in Skopje on Thursday and Friday after a year-long hiatus.
While meeting last week in Sofia, Osmani and Zaharieva said they expected the commission to step up its activities so as to deliver results ahead of November 10, when Sofia is expected to host a summit of the Berlin Process, co-chaired by North Macedonia and Bulgaria. PMs Zaev and Borissov are also expected to meet before November 10.
