Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani told a press conference on Thursday that the only solution for the dispute with Bulgaria is restoring trust in the Friendship Treaty, an instrument for settling all differences.
He refused to speculate on the outcome of Skopje-Sofia talks, stressing that Macedonian stakeholders are doing everything in their power to present the country’s interests and find common ground.
“Discussions are still underway, so I can’t speculate on their outcome. We’ll work until the last second to present our position and bring closer different expectations. I think the solution lies in restoring trust in the Friendship Treaty, the only instrument that can guarantee that all differences are settled,” Osmani told reporters.
According to him, failure to resolve dispute affects all sides.
“Dispute resolution is in the Bulgaria’s best interest as well. Our failure is also a failure for Bulgaria and the EU,” the FM stressed.
He underlined the need for people to know details about negotiations as they are focused on language.
“Talks are at their height, so I can’t go into any more detail than to reiterate that there are certain concerns and different expectations. We can offer assurance that concerns are unfounded and that it’s our intention to establish friendly relations with Bulgaria, as well as with other member states,” Osmani pointed out and thanked the German EU Presidency for active engagement to ensure the continuation of the enlargement process.
He added that the situation doesn’t come down only to talks with Bulgaria. There are 26 other EU member states whose position on North Macedonia’s negotiating framework is unanimous, which is a huge success and a step forward.
Moreover, Osmani explained that stakeholders are discussing in Brussels North Macedonia’s negotiating framework, noting that all 27 EU members must agree on the same text.
“All member states presented their positions and proposed amendments in the past few months. There was serious debate between countries pushing for stricter control mechanisms and those that think stimulus measures will speed up negotiations,” the Minister explained.
He presented during Thursday’s news briefing the Foreign Ministry’s new concept on economic diplomacy. The foreign economic relations strategy aims to promote North Macedonia as an attractive business and investment destination.
Osmani underlined that economic advisors will travel to countries that show potential to cooperate with North Macedonia. First visits will take place in spring 2021.
