VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski warned that, if the proposal made by French President Emmanuel Macron includes accepting key Bulgarian demands, it will not be adopted in Macedonia.
Macron yesterday spoke with the prime ministers of Macedonia and Bulgaria, and with Bulgarian President Radev. Radev said that he asked that Macron secures written guarantees that Macedonia will implement the Bulgarian demands over the course of its EU accession talks – meaning that future VMRO led Governments would be bound by the decisions of the current SDSM led Government.

We must be clear that Radev’s demands are based on the declaration of the Bulgarian Parliament from November 2019, and he wants this declaration to be made part of chapter 35 of the EU accession talks. This is what Radev wants and he says that if it is not accepted, Bulgaria will not approve the opening of our EU accession talks. If this Government accepts it, it would mean complete capitulation. It would either mean our assimilation or no accession talks. If this proposal is sent to Parliament to a vote, and it requires a two-thirds majority, VMRO-DPMNE will not support it. Kovacevski and Osmani can sign anything they want, I can understand Osmani, but I can’t understand Kovacevski’s actions, Mickoski said, appealing to the national pride of the Prime Minister.

The declaration of the Bulgarian Parliament calls on Macedonia to accept the Bulgarian historic narrative. The SDSM – DUI Government is generally prepared to accept many of their demands, but their continued implementation would require the cooperation of future Governments, and Bulgaria wants to formally incorporate its demands in the EU accession process.