The only way to reach the necessary two-thirds majority in Parliament for the constitutional amendments is to hold talks with the people from the opposition, said President Stevo Pendarovski at a joint press conference with the Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Wednesday.

I would not like to see any other approach in achieving the necessary two-thirds majority and if we go in with a sincere intention, to understand each other, I assure you that the arguments are on our side, those including myself, who believe that the very content of that constitutional amendment, including the Bulgarians into our Constitution is a benign change and in no way threatens Macedonian sovereignty, independence or the European path, said Pendarovski.

Asked what will happen if there is no two-thirds majority, President Pendarovski said that it is clear, because the European negotiating framework says that if we do not adopt changes to the Constitution by the end of November this year, we will be blocked again on the way to the EU this time with our own decision.

The working group that should prepare the constitutional amendments, he pointed out, should be initiated and put together technically by the Ministry of Justice, and there will also be a representative from his cabinet who will propose it. He expects that to happen this week or next.