The Macedonian Government issued a statement condemning the decision by Bulgaria to veto the opening of EU accession talks with Macedonia. According to the Zaev Government, the now official veto is an “irresponsible, strategic mistake”. Bulgaria demands major concessions with regard to the Macedonian national identity and history before it will  allow the accession talks to begin.

Macedonia will never give up on the right to self-determination of the Macedonian citizens, which is guaranteed in the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention of Human Rights, the Lisbon treaty where it’s enshrined as a foundational constitutional value of the EU, and is part of the foundational values of the Macedonian Constitution. The Macedonian national identity was not, is not and can’t be subject to negotiations. The Macedonian people and the Macedonian language are pillars of the Macedonian identity. They come from the past, but at the same time, they’re the pillars of our European future. Unfortunately, the process of enlargement, which is a strategic goal of the European Union, was stopped by the Republic of Bulgaria, as an EU member state. This is an irresponsible and serious strategic mistake, the Government said in its press release.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced his readiness to negotiate on practically all historic issues and blurred the distinction between the Macedonian and the Bulgarian nation in his now infamous BGNES interview, but he did not follow up with legally binding documents to his public announcement. Intense and secretive talks did not yield results, and neither did an attempt to get Germany to intervene on behalf of Macedonia. The Zaev Government now pivots back to the objective criteria for membership and insists that it will continue to work on EU membership.

In the exceptionally positive European Commission progress report we ranked better than the other candidate countries, including some who are already holding accession talks. Our results and our readiness to open the accession talks are doubtless. The non-approval of our negotiating framework harms the fundamental principles and values of the European Union. The Macedonian Government will not allow a pause in the internal reforms. On the contrary, we will enhance their speed and increase the advantage we already hold in the region in terms of democratic reforms. The Government remains on the same strategic orientation. We delivered full NATO membership and we will move the country toward the EU! Our obligation is to implement European standards at home! For us there is no other path, there is no alternative. The Macedonian future is European, the Government said in its press release.