Dimitar Kovacevski spoke on the phone with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen today, to discuss the recent visit by Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov.

EC President Von der Leyen welcomed the established dialogue at the level of Prime Ministers, emphasized that Brussels strongly supports this process, and that she personally, and the entire Commission, are ready to assist it, with the goal of holding the first inter-governmental conference as soon as possible, Kovacevski’s office said in a press release.

Bulgaria is blocking the opening of EU accession talks with Macedonia, as it demands thorough rewriting of Macedonian history and national identity. Petkov proposed that the negotiations are expanded from the area of history to also include culture, infrastructure, economy and EU integration. Both sides plan to achieve some progress in the next six months, after which Bulgaria may temporarily lift the veto.

President Pendarovski also spoke with the Bulgarian President Rumen Radev today, and the four committees made up of top Government officials will likely meet soon.