Bulgarian Defense Minister Krasimir Karakacanov called on Macedonia not to hope for a change in Bulgarian policy after the March elections. The nationalist politician added that Macedonia must realize that if it wants to join the EU, it needs to get “Bulgaria to open the door”.

Regardless of the political configurations in Bulgaria, whether GERB or BSP will dominate and whether VMRO will be part of the Government or not, I am convinced that there is not a single Bulgarian party that will betray Bulgarian national interests. In Skopje they think that with tricks and external pressure on Bulgaria they will be able to continue their anti-Bulgarian policy that they are undertaking for years. Instead, they need to sit down honestly, fairly, for a normal dialogue, Karakacanov said.