In an interview with the Bulgarian “Dnevnik” daily, former Macedonian Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski, who is Zoran Zaev’s personal envoy to Bulgaria, says that a possible deal between the two countries will need to include changes and alignment of school textbooks on history, geography and literature.

Buckovski also urges the Bulgarian Government to hurry up and use the fact that a person like Zoran Zaev and his SDSM party are still in power in Macedonia to cut a deal, considering that the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party is far stronger in defending Macedonian national interests. Bulgaria is likely to maintain its veto against Macedonia during the December 14th European Council, but the Zaev regime is hoping it will lift the veto in early 2022.

Since the 2017 agreement was signed, Zaev contributed a lot to finding solutions that will withstand the pressure in both the Bulgarian and the Macedonian public. We are under pressure from the opposition, which is expressing anxiety. And if VMRO-DPMNE is anxious and accuses us of treason, you should know that the things are moving and a deal is possible. VMRO-DPMNE accuses Zaev and says that whatever he signs now will not be valid for them in the future. I’m a moderate optimist, and I think that Bulgaria should not miss its historic opportunity. We are only determining a roadmap now, and we will likely negotiate about it in the next 6, 8, 10 years, Buckovski told “Dnevnik”.

In the interview, Buckovski concedes the point of the Bulgarian authorities that Macedonia needs to use the term “common” and not “shared” history. While the difference seems small, Bulgaria wants the former term to be used, to indicate that the two nations were one in the past – that the Macedonians were Bulgarians, and not just two separate nations that have some overlap in their history.

Yes, some politicians in Macedonia publicly used a term that is not in line with our agreement, and that will be a lesson for the future. Literal adherence to the agreement means that we accept the position of a common history, Buckovski told “Dnevnik”.