It’s unlikely that the current situation will change by Tuesday, especially in light of the negative outcome of the latest session of the North Macedonia-Bulgaria joint commission on historical and educational issues, Bulgarian MEP Andrey Kovatchev said on Monday regarding the possibility that Bulgaria will change its mind about vetoing North Macedonia’s EU negotiating framework ahead of Tuesday’s meeting of the Council of the EU.

According to Kovatchev, BGNES reported, PM Zoran Zev has to show greater courage and encouragement regarding Friendship Treaty implementation.

“If Skopje’s experts in the North Macedonia-Bulgaria joint commission on historical and educational issues are afraid to accept facts, another mechanism for the implementation of the Treaty will have to be established. The European Union is not here to promote hate, but unity and tolerance,” Kovatchev stressed.

According to him, North Macedonia cannot allow young people to be raised to hate Bulgaria.

“In the past three decades we consistently demonstrated good will – we were the first to recognize its independence, protect their territorial integrity, provide all kinds of assistance. On the other hand, they seem to be stuck in the past and are not prepared to overcome differences imposed by the communist regime,” the MEP added.

Kovatchev noted that the Macedonian side is trying to find different excuses, stressing that the election in Bulgaria has played no role in the dispute.

“All Bulgarian parties agree that there’s no way to find compromise regarding history and clear historical facts,” said Kovatchev, whom BGNES has dubbed one of the biggest supporters of North Macedonia’s EU accession.