English
The foreign ministries of Macedonia and Bulgaria exchanged critical statements today – initiated by the Bulgarian Ministry which objected to statements made by Macedonian Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski. In an interview, Mucunski said that several European countries made efforts to open communication between and his Bulgarian counterpart aimed at resolving the latest historic dispute that is blocking Macedonia’s EU accession, but the efforts failed.
According to Sofia, Minister Mucunski’s statement was manipulative and unclear, and Macedonia must implement the demands that are included in the proposed EU negotiating framework. “We again emphasize the fact that the dialogue is institutional, between the country candidate and the EU. It is only up to Skopje to implement all measures outlined in the consensus”, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said.
The Macedonian Foreign Ministry responded by alluding that the reaction from Sofia is in the service of the coming elections, in which Macedonia is one of the nationalist topics that are discussed.
Regarding the statement published today at the website of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, we express regret that this institution is often positioning itself as a reviewer of the statements of Macedonian political representatives, instead of as a partner in a fundamental and Europe oriented dialogue. We would also clearly point out that we have no intention or need to be part of the internal political and electoral processes in the Republic of Bulgaria, either through comments, interpretations or by getting in daily political narratives. Europe is built with trust and results, not with labelling and political qualifications, replied the Macedonian Foreign Ministry.