Tensions between North Macedonia and its eastern neighbour Bulgaria, which is blocking Skopje’s EU membership bid, should “naturally decline” after the 4 April election in Bulgaria, Justice Minister Bojan Marichikj told EURACTIV.
We think, he said, that with intensive dialogue after the Bulgarian elections, we can reach an agreement if we have a genuine willingness and if we are looking for a solution that is based on mutual respect, on rationality, on European values, and on modern, 21st-century concepts.
Asked if it is a good strategy to wait for the outcome of the ballot, given that there appears to be a cross-party consensus in Bulgaria on the veto against Skopje, Marichikj said “North Macedonia needs to see who its negotiating partner is.”
EURACTIV wrote that Skopje has twice asked for the extradition of ex-PM Nikola Gruevski, who is considered close ally of Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, but with little success.
“We agreed then, when this happened, that apart from the strong differences that we have on this particular case, that will not harm our general relations and I can reassure you that so far, those relations have been at a high level,” the Minister said.
In the interview, Marichikj said that the country is acutely aware of the importance of media freedom, learning from the times when Gruevski was in power.
“This is why we’re very careful in what we can do and how we follow the situation with the media financed by Hungarian companies. All of those media are pro-opposition media, and we strongly believe that there is a connection with Gruevski and his ties. Of course, that is not illegal,” Marichikj added.
We, he said, are not approaching [this] with a prejudice. Because every foreign investment is welcome, regardless of whether it comes from Hungary or any other country. “But, of course, it needs to be in accordance with all the laws.”
EURACTIV also wrote that the country has been preparing to organize a census, the first one in 19 years after the failed census in 2011 following political backlash.
“What is different this time is that the census is fully implemented by the experts and not by politicians,” Marichikj said, pointing out that the count will meet the standards of the EU’s statistical office, Eurostat.
Commenting on criticism voiced by Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki that close to 130,000 Bulgarian are not entitled to declare themselves Bulgarian at the coming census, Marichikj said it was “manifestly untrue that the Bulgarians will not be able to register.”
“To the contrary, all the ethnic groups are having the same chance”.
In the 2002 census, only about 1,500 people out of two million declared themselves as Bulgarians.
According to Marichikj, “many or most of these people who have taken Bulgarian citizenship have done it for more predominantly economic reasons because this gives them a chance to work abroad, in the European Union, without any special approvals or licences”.
