VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski called on the European Union to keep the promises it repeatedly made to Macedonia and ensure the opening of the accession talks. Mickoski added that he is opposed to making any concessions with the Macedonian national identity to appease demands from Bulgaria – which is blocking the opening of accession talks.

We need a date to open the EU accession talks. That date should have been given to us by now. I will repeat what I said before, we are a small nation in the heart of the Balkans, and were promised the accession talks after the humiliation of the interim reference for our name, then the constitutional amendments, the change of our flag, the refusal to honor the 2011 Hague verdict when we were told that might is stronger than right. We then went through the violent change of the Constitution but we were told that this would be the final humiliation. We were promised to join NATO, after the many military missions we bravely participated in, and to open the EU accession talks. And now they need to deliver on the promise, Mickoski said.

Late last year the EU agreed to open the accession talks with Macedonia, but then Bulgaria decided to veto the move and is now demanding major concessions from Macedonia on issues of national identity and history.

We had enough concessions on our national issues. VMRO-DPMNE and I personally do not support moving another miilimeter in that direction, Mickoski added.

The Zaev regime announced that it will ask to resume negotiations with Bulgaria after the elections in this country, but their inconclusive outcome could postpone this move.