We have clear state positions regarding the talks with Bulgaria and the adoption of a Resolution in the Parliament, supported by all parties. The Macedonian language and the Macedonian identity were not, are not, and will not be a topic of conversation. The government will fully protect the national interests, and the negotiations are in no way heated, is the joint assessment of the future and current Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski and Zoran Zav, as well as Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani after yesterday’s accusations of the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs. Nikola Dimitrov on policies towards Bulgaria.
Dimitrov said yesterday that he did not resign alone and that not being part of the new government is a result of his position on the issue of Bulgaria. He emphasizes that it is in someone’s interest both in the country and abroad for him not to be part of the government, but also not to be at home, due to which, as he pointed out, he received an offer for ambassadorial position, which he rejected.
– I want to deny that I withdrew myself. That’s not correct. I am not a man who withdraws from battles. I did not resign because I feel responsible and I think that the positions I represent in the negotiation process with Bulgaria are correct and it is important to maintain them. I had a serious battle inside, especially in the last year, in terms of defining the national positions, meaning the very essence of the trouble, but also the strategy, ie the course of the negotiations themselves. That battle was no secret. The differences were evident in both public messages and public appearances, Dimitrov said at yesterday’s press conference.
Asked by reporters whether Osmani is one of the existing members of the old government, but also of someone who will be part of the new one regarding the negotiations with Bulgaria, he answered in the affirmative that he does not have full confidence in the Minister of Foreign Affairs, given that he says, his experience in internal coordination and contacts with EU member states and representatives of European institutions in Brussels.
– I have a feeling that there is a “drive time” for success at any cost that I think is not productive, it is dangerous. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong. However, I think that my civic duty as a person who has been working on this cause for years is to be vigilant and follow the process and I will publicly and loudly alert when I think that things are going in the wrong direction, said Dimitrov.
Foreign Minister Osmani replied that his personal positions, as Minister of Foreign Affairs and as a person, absolutely correspond to the state positions that, as he says, we actively represent, namely: and when we jointly built state interests in creating the Agreement from Prespa; and when we jointly created the Friendship Agreement with Bulgaria; and now, when we talk again about overcoming differences with our neighbors.
– A new political momentum is being formed before us, created through the new mandates of the Governments in both countries. The citizens expect us to use this new political initiative to strengthen the trust between the two Governments and between the two countries. For this, I personally, but also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is in constant communication with the Working Group in the Government, and with the current Prime Minister, and we are consulting with the new Prime Minister who we expect to take over the function soon. The result of this activity is the already agreed visit of the high government delegation led by Prime Minister Petkov to Skopje on January 18, and in constant communication with our colleagues from Bulgaria, we are already working to reach an agreement on holding a joint session of the two governments just one week later. , or on January 25, said Osmani.
The direction and strength of the new momentum in the relations between the two countries will depend on the success of these visits, Osmani emphasized, and hence all the activities that threaten this success, he states, are considered unproductive and unfair.
– I publicly call on all colleagues, current and former, to show virtue and fair attitude towards each other, to maintain the level and trust that we have built for many years and with each other, and to provide the European future to the citizens that we only promise for too long , appeals the Minister of Foreign Affairs Osmani.
In the reaction from the Cabinet of the resigned Prime Minister Zoran Zaev to the views of the current Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Dimirov, they point out that Northern Macedonia has clear positions in the talks with Bulgaria, built with full government unity and sent in response by our MFA to the Bulgarian MFA. identity and the Macedonian language are not a topic of conversation between us and Bulgaria at all.
The reaction points out that the Macedonian positions, which are fully in line with the Portuguese proposal that was adopted by the Slovenian Presidency and which are fully in line with the Resolution adopted by the Assembly, are built through a comprehensive consultation process and working meetings in which Dimitrov had an active and substantive role.
– Nikola Dimitrov agreed with the Macedonian positions in these negotiations, in fact he had a serious role in the creation of our positions, through the process led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani. If Dimitrov is against any of the positions we have built together, it is fair for the people to say so and explain why, because otherwise only the impression remains that his non-participation in the future government is the reason for such inaccurate and speculative public manifestations in order to put a burden of distrust in the government from the front, the reaction emphasizes.
Dimitar Kovacevski, Zaev’s successor, also thinks that it is a matter of expressed personal dissatisfaction of Dimitrov due to the end of his participation in the Government. Dimitrov personally was part of building the positions for Bulgaria and what he says is not true at all, says Kovachevski.
– We have clear state positions regarding the talks with Bulgaria, we have adopted a Resolution in the Parliament, supported by all parties. The Macedonian language and Macedonian identity have not been, are not, and will not be a topic of conversation. Is Mr. Dimitrov against these established state positions regarding the talks with Bulgaria and in what part he should say himself. The citizens should be calm that the Government will fully protect the national interests, and the negotiations are in no way heated with the departure of Dimitrov, said SDSM President and Prime Minister-designate Dimitar Kovacevski, whose first meeting with a foreign statesman after the election for The new prime minister is expected to be with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov.
Petkov confirmed yesterday that after the end of the isolation, he will visit the country, which is agreed to take place on January 18.
Meanwhile, opinion polls in Bulgaria show that an increasing number of Bulgarian citizens are in favor of Northern Macedonia joining the EU and starting accession talks, even without a prior agreement on open issues between Sofia and Skopje.
Research conducted by Alpha Research presented on the Bulgarian National Television dedicated to the Bulgarian-Macedonian relations shows that almost 61% of the citizens of Bulgaria believe that Northern Macedonia should become a member of the European Union. The percentage of citizens who think that they should say “yes” to the start of negotiations between Northern Macedonia and the EU without a prior agreement on open issues is growing. This is the opinion of 29,6 percent of respondents, which is an increase of about 13 percent compared to November 2020, when 16,9 percent answered in the affirmative. Of those polled, 69 per cent believe that negotiations should not be allowed without resolving outstanding issues. In November 2020, this ratio was 81,1 percent.
In response to the question – what is the fundamental interest of Bulgaria for the membership of RSM in the EU, if the disputed issues are left aside, 60,9% of Bulgarians said that the country should become a member of the Union, compared to 32,2% of respondents who stated that S. Macedonia should not become an EU member.
The majority of respondents, as well as Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, believe that the current positions of governments need to be upgraded. The Alpha Research poll also showed that 61,9% of respondents believe that the new governments of Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia should maintain their current positions, but also upgrade them to unblock Northern Macedonia’s negotiations with the EU. Of the respondents, 12,4 percent believe that the current positions should be preserved, and 25,7 percent are of the opinion that completely new positions should be built.
Source: MIA
