It was an honor to be the Government’s Special Representative for Bulgaria over the past 13 months. I was appointed a couple of weeks after the Bulgarian veto, amid exceptionally complex circumstances – lack of mutual trust and dominating hate speech, Vlado Buckovski told MIA after the Government dismissed him from the post on Tuesday.

He hopes that with his engagement he gave his contribution which will be important in the soon resumption of the dialogue between the two governments and the two new prime ministers.

A friend of mine from Sofia often said to me, “You are the guardian of the fire here, you do not allow it to be extinguished… the fire which fuels the hope that Bulgaria and Macedonia can and will be true friends and allies as soon as possible, Buckovski said.

The Government thanks Buckovski for all the efforts he has made to maintain good neighborly and friendly relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria.

However, Bulgaria’s position towards Macedonia remains unchanged for now, and the veto remains as well.