Former Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Dimitrov predicts a national defeat for Macedonia, if the Government agreed to change the Constitution, without agreeing on issues with Bulgaria that are crucial to us, such as the Macedonian language.

In an interview with Euractiv, Prime Minister Petkov announced that he and Prime Minister Kovacevski would send a joint letter to Brussels requesting that the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Macedonian Constitution become a European condition and that Brussels ensure its fulfillment. So we ourselves demand that the Bulgarian request become European. Furthermore, Petkov talks about some need for legal protection for ethnic Bulgarians in our country, something that is already constitutionally guaranteed for all Macedonian citizens regardless of their ethnicity. If this letter is sent, the Government would practically commit itself to something that is not constitutionally competent (the amendment of the Constitution is made by the Parliament with 80 MPs) and secondly – again we make a concession, without having an agreement on the issues in the problem with Bulgaria that are crucial for us, such as – pure Macedonian language in the negotiating framework. This either leads to a complete victory / defeat agreement, or to the aggravation of any agreement in the future, because with this tactic it is clear that only the issues that are essential to us will remain unresolved. Therefore, for this step to have elementary logic, at least Bulgaria in the same letter should commit itself to accept the framework in which there will be no (further) explanations for the Macedonian language, along with other essential elements for the Macedonian side, such as the fact that our action in the Council of Europe can in no way be subject to interference in the internal affairs of Bulgaria. The main question is – is it secured? I sincerely hope so. Without such a guarantee, this would not only be the fulfillment of another of their demands without any return concession, but is equal to a national defeat, Dimitrov said.