Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said that the country was under strong international pressure to relent in the dispute with Macedonia, but that it endured.

I think that I and the interim Government explained our reasons and positions well and they were accepted. We are talking about human rights and hate speech, which are incompatible with European values, said Radev while attending the VE Day celebration in Sofia.

He warned that it remains to be seen whether the current Government will endure the pressure. Prime Minister Petkov is set to visit Washington, and it’s expected that the US will pressure Bulgaria during this visit.

Radev also said that it is unacceptable that Macedonia puts ultimatums to Bulgaria. This is in response to the statement by Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani who said that, if the veto is not lifted in June, Macedonia will greatly reduce its engagement with Bulgaria over the dispute.