Bulgarian President Rumen Radev demands the opening of a special chapter in the negotiating framework for Macedonia, which will include all the criteria for good neighborliness.

According to him, Bulgaria must first and foremost defend its history, language and identity.

No one but ourselves can do that. I am convinced that openly cooperating with our neighbors and brothers, we will find the right solution, but since the Good Neighborhood Agreement leads us to them, we have the right to seek other means. Bulgaria is not a candidate for membership, but Macedonia. It must decide for herself whether to continue with the hate ideologies of the past or to start democratic development, Radev told BNT.

He claims that he convinced the Government of Boyko Borisov that there can be no unreserved support for Skopje and that the national framework with the “red lines” in the Parliament in Sofia was adopted on his proposal.

Asked whether it was possible for Bulgaria and Macedonia to find a solution by Tuesday, when the EU General Affairs Council is scheduled to meet, Radev said the Bulgarian government’s silence was confusing.

It has no clear opposition. There are correct positions, but there are no clear mechanisms to achieve the goal, the Bulgarian president said.

Regarding the recent phone talk with the Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski, he says that he was very honest.

I know it’s hard. This is a subject of internal political contradictions. But I am interested in one thing – what is the top leadership of the Republic of Macedonia doing in terms of state policy on textbooks, museums, monuments, official sections of public media and websites and research of scientific organizations and institutes, said Rumen Radev.