Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said North Macedonia’s path to the EU passes through Bulgaria, without whose approval the accession negotiations cannot start. He added that Sofia shouldn’t miss this chance if it wants a stable Balkans.
“It’s true that North Macedonia’s path passes through Sofia. The decision is made by consensus. There can be no decision without the green light from Bulgaria. We can only dream that this decision will be made without Bulgaria’s green light. That cannot happen, and that’s why we’re trying to convince our friends on the Bulgarian side that the Treaty we have built has a good basis for building our relations and overcoming differences. They need an additional guarantee that we won’t be running away from the agreement,” Osmani told TV21 on Monday.
According to the Foreign Minister, Bulgaria, however, shouldn’t miss the chance at the EU summit in June to give North Macedonia the green light to start the accession negotiations, if it wants a stable Balkans.
“I have a feeling that the region is reaching a critical juncture, when trust in joining the EU is being lost. The moment this point is reached, it will be a problem. Many topics will be opened that have been closed in terms of the European perspective since 2003, when a decision was made in Thessaloniki that one day the Balkans will join the EU. This was a strong impetus for the region. That’s why Bulgaria must “seize” this chance if it wants a stable Balkans,” Osmani pointed out.
