Bulgarian Defense Minister Krasimir Karakacanov, who is staking the election hopes of his VMRO-BND party on pushing a hard line against Macedonia, blamed the Macedonian historians who are in the joint committee of obstinacy. “Like donkeys on a bridge”, Karakacanov said, implying that the politicians in Macedonia are willing to accept Bulgarian demands, but not the historians appointed to the joint committee.

Bulgaria has always helped Macedonia, we were the first to recognize their independence, we helped them during the embargo. We expected a collegial relationship, but instead we got sneaky games, Karakacanov said.

Bulgaria demands that Macedonia agrees to a Bulgarian reading of history and declares that the Macedonian language and nation derived from the Bulgarian. Until we do so, Bulgaria has announced it will veto the opening of EU accession talks with Macedonia.

Meanwhile, conservative member of the European Parliament from the larger coalition partner GERB Andrey Kovatchev, denied that what Bulgaria is doing to Macedonia amounts to a veto.

I don’t see a blockade. This is postponing the opening of accession talks, as was provided in the March conclusions of the European Council which asked for serious progress in implementing the treaty with Bulgaria, Kovatchev insisted.