The expected future Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov said that the position of his cabinet toward Macedonia will remain “as it is” but could be upgraded in the future.

Petkov is expected to nominate Teodora Gancevska from the populist ITN party as the next Foreign Minister. ITN leader, showman Slavi Trifonov, was vocal in demanding a hard line toward Macedonia, while Petkov is seen as more moderate. Gancevska comes from the office of President Rumen Radev, who also took a hard line toward Macedonia.

Petkov insisted that Macedonia needs to join a number of committees with Bulgaria, which will work to align positions on history, infrastructure and other areas – a process which will take a long time.