Zoran Zaev finally admitting that Bulgaria will not allow Macedonia to start EU accession negotiations brought back memories of the Prime Minister’s promises that the Good Neighborly Agreement closes all open issues with the eastern neighbor and that the signing opens the European door.
Not only did the door not open, but also Zaev’s “brothers” slammed it even harder.
It was confirmed that what the experts on the relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria claimed three years ago that the Goodneighborly Agreement is worse than the one with Greece. At least we knew that they want us to sign that we are different, while with the Bulgarians the situation is the opposite, they want to force us to accept that we are the same. They say “everything was the same”- language, people, history.
And it is clear to everyone except Zaev that this is not the case. Maybe Zaev knows it too, but once involved, he must accept.
What Zaev said today
Zaev claimed today that this was not a veto from Bulgaria. Whatever the Prime Minister calls this, a blockade, an unpleasant message, this is literally called a veto. Veto as we had in 2008 in Bucharest from Greece and as we will have who knows how many more from Bulgaria during the EU negotiations whenever they start.
What did not go unnoticed is Zaev’s statement today that “we do not have an agreement with which we have accepted a common history with Bulgaria.”
Is that so?
Article 8 of the agreement refers to common historical events and personalities, which translated into Bulgarian means common history.
Moreover, Zaev has repeatedly stated that “the Ilinden Uprising is part of the common history with Bulgaria” and that “we accept that we share a part of a common history.”
Therefore, the agreement may need an annex, but in our favor because it is asymmetric and puts Macedonia in a subordinate position and must forever meet the demands of Sofia in order to move forward in EU negotiations. And once you start giving in, then there is no end….
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