VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski warned that the new treaty that is reportedly negotiated with Bulgaria, will have disastrous consequences to Macedonian national identity. Zoran Zaev tapped former Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski (pictured) to negotiate with Bulgaria after the Bulgarian Government blocked Macedonia from opening EU accession talks.

I have been informed that the plan for activities is nearly finished. The Macedonian public deserves to know what the plan is. We have said for a long time that Bulgaria obviously wants a new treaty or an expansion of the 2017 Zaev – Borisov treaty. I don’t know what Zaev will call it but it is on the table and we need to see what it includes in the area of the identity issues. To what extent will it affect the Macedonian tradition, customs, the Macedonian language, history and heroes, Mickoski said.

Bulgaria demands major concessions from Macedonia in the area of history and national identity before it will allow the opening of accession talks. The 2017 treaty provides concessions in the area of history, and the basis for Bulgarian demands that the Macedonian language is not mentioned in future EU accession talks. But it does not contain the demands for constitutional changes that the 2018 Prespa Treaty which Zaev signed with Greece has, and Bulgaria has felt it could get a better deal.

When Zaev and Buckovski negotiate on something it means we are in for a new national disaster. We need to actively observe the situation, because these two are eager to sell what little was left from our country, Mickoski said.