On six pages with long historical explanations for the “state anti-Bulgarian ideology” in Macedonia, Bulgaria sent an explanatory memorandum to the EU member states in anticipation of the decision to start negotiations with the Union. Official Sofia is seeking support for their position on the Macedonian identity and language.

Sofia stresses that candidate countries should not enter into open disputes in the EU, and believes that disagreements with Skopje are an unresolved conflict that “could negatively affect EU decision-making upon Macedonia’s membership.”

 

Bulgarian authorities are urging Macedonia to find lasting solutions with sincere political will and courage and to “break with the ideological legacy of communist Yugoslavia”. According to Bulgaria, this “heritage” is the reason for the “ethnic engineering” in Macedonia.

As for the language, Sofia questions the codification of the Macedonian language and considers it to be a regional dialect of Bulgarian.

The memorandum also states that the formation of the Macedonian nation is a project of Belgrade to undermine the Bulgarian identity. Official Sofia also sets conditions for minorities.

The Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the exchange of memoranda between member states is a regular process and they have no more information about the document.

There is no reaction from the European Union institutions to this Bulgarian document so far.

Diplomatic sources told MIA that it is normal for each side to explain its position at the beginning of EU discussions and that it is usual for them to be maximalist, but there is hope that a mutually acceptable solution can be found with Sofia to start membership talks with Macedonia before the end of this year.

The co-chair of the Macedonian-Bulgarian Joint Commission for Historical and Educational Issues from the Macedonian side, Dragi Gjorgiev told Bulgarian TV Europe that the commission will meet this month.