Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov announces that the date of his first visit to Northern Macedonia will probably be January 18th.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, as reported by the MIA correspondent from Sofia, Petkov says that they want to create a completely different framework for the talks with Kovacevski.
He points out that so far the main focus has been on the historical debate, but that he believes that it is more important to put all discussions on a winning basis for all. That is why, as he says, we are opening five new groups – for infrastructure, economy, cultural exchanges, EU accession and history. He states that he wants these groups to work extremely efficiently in the next six months and to achieve real results.
Petkov also said that he did not understand why he had to fly through Vienna to go to Skopje, pointing out that there should be Sofia-Skopje flights. He added that he does not understand why there is no railway connection between Sofia and Skopje.
Asked about the history that remains a problem between the two countries, even if all other working groups make some progress, Petkov said he believes people would be much more inclined to be more open when faced with all the positive aspects of good neighborliness, and there are many . So far, he says, they have not talked about them, but only about the problems, and when it comes to the problems, everyone is sticking to their positions and there is no progress.
He points out that the Bulgarian side has specified and with the Macedonian partners has a very tight schedule of these intergovernmental and business meetings, as well as cultural groups on both sides with very clear goals. According to how progress is being made on all issues, Petkov expects the final date for accession of the Republic of Northern Macedonia to be set.
Additionally, the Bulgarian Parliament, he says, has given him a mandate and has a coalition agreement on some specific points that need to be implemented before this step can be taken. There is an Agreement between Bulgaria and S Macedonia that has been signed and they are included in it. Therefore, he says, discussions must begin with all positive parties, the specific criteria must be met so that he can enter the Bulgarian Parliament as Prime Minister to report on their progress.
Petkov said that he has a strong will and believes that the role and place of S Macedonia will be best protected if the country is part of the EU, so the faster it progresses, the sooner it will be possible to set more specific deadlines.
Source: MIA
