Bulgarian Foreign Ministry officials and EU officials told BGNES news agency that there is no new French initiative to resolve the dispute between Macedonia and Bulgaria, as Zaev’s First Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi claimed.

In the diplomatic circles there is no such proposal, EU sources told BGNES.

Grubi said that it is important to keep the Zaev Government in place, even under a new SDSM appointed Prime Minister, because there is a good chance in the coming months that Bulgaria is persuaded to lift its veto against Macedonia. He cited an alleged French diplomatic initiative, which, reportedly, is meant to resolve the dispute before France assumes the rotating Presidency of the European Council. Bulgaria is expected to veto Macedonia from opening EU accession talks at the European Council on December 14th, and to keep this policy in place for at least months to come.