Bilateral issues should be resolved in a bilateral format, and history should be left to historians. Good neighborly relations are an important part of any framework. It’s necessary to restore mutual trust in order to build healthy good neighborly relations for future generations, said the European Parliament’s Rapporteur for North Macedonia, Bulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk, who is paying a visit to North Macedonia.
“Historical issues should be resolved by competent historians. Talks on history should be left to professionals. Politicians are responsible for making political decisions, not sweeping them under the carpet and then saying historians are to be blamed,” Kyuchyuk told Wednesday’s joint press conference with Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani.
He added that the joint commission should continue its work and mutual trust needs to be restored, pointing out that otherwise, it won’t be possible to achieve good results.
Kyuchyuk stressed that their role as politicians is not to build walls but break them down, while the citizens of North Macedonia and Bulgaria live in a more prosperous world.
“It’s North Macedonia’s strategic interest to join the EU, but it’s also Bulgaria’s strategic interest that North Macedonia becomes part of the EU, and therefore, there’s a need for dialogue, sincere relations, returning to the 2017 Treaty, because it’s not possible to achieve good results without trust,” Kyuchyuk underlined.
As regards the draft-resolution on North Macedonia, which is to be adopted by the European Parliament, MEP Kyuchyuk said his role as rapporteur is objective and reflects the real image of the country, pointing out that North Macedonia shows strong commitment to reforms.
“Achievements such as NATO and EU membership require a supranational consensus and everyone should have a role to play – citizens should demand more from politicians, as well as constructiveness from the opposition. Reforms, which are an important part of the Government’s program, need to continue all the way, as the European Union calls for profound reforms,” – said Kyuchyuk.
He pointed out that North Macedonia has been there to lend a hand to the EU in times of need, and vice versa – the Union has always been there to lend a hand to North Macedonia, because, according to him, it’s in the EU’s interest to be a global political player, which is only possible by integrating the Western Balkans into the European Union.
FM Osmani, on his part, pointed out that North Macedonia has delivered in all areas and merits credit, while the EU should put the March 2020 decision into operation and hold the first intergovernmental conference.
“The European Parliament should recognize our progress. We’re witnessing the European Parliament’s strong support in all phases of our EU accession and we appreciate your personal commitment to have the important document that you’re preparing reflect the real image and be an important impetus not only for the country, but the entire region,” Osmani said.
In terms of the dialogue with Bulgaria, Osmani added that the country is ready to work in order to remove all obstacles to full-fledged EU membership.
“A political debate with Bulgaria is ongoing to prevent a wider stalemate in bilateral relations, and in this regard, we’re close to completing the Action Plan,” FM Osmani said.
