Prime Minister Zoran Zaev justified his refusal and the refusal of his top diplomats to attend a session of Parliament and discuss the latest developments in the dispute with Bulgaria by saying that he doesn’t want to allow the opposition to score political points. Zaev is facing a Bulgarian veto on the opening of EU accession talks, and said that he will try to reach a deal with Prime Minister Borisov by Tuesday – as Bulgaria demands major concessions on issues of history and national identity.
We are always transparent before the Parliament which elected us. Nobody in the world, comes to the Parliament to allow the opposition to flex its muscles, when we are in the final stretch of the talks. The opposition shows it is not responsible and doesn’t care what happens to the country, Zaev said.
His top diplomats Nikola Dimitrov and Bujar Osmani refused to attend the hearings in the Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, prompting Committee chair Antonio Milososki from VMRO-DPMNE to bring a styrofoam effigy of Dimitrov. VMRO-DPMNE walked out of the Parliament today after Speaker Xhaferi did not allow a debate on the Bulgarian veto, and this prompted an end to the session for the day – as Zaev’s majority is short on votes with six members of Parliament sick with Covid-19.
Speaking during a press conference in the Government, after his inconclusive summit in Sofia, Zaev said that he remains an optimist, but that it is also still possible that the opening of accession talks is postponed.
We are making efforts until the last moment, we will give all we have in energy, wits and wisdom, but you know that there are things nobody in the world would negotiate about. And the Bulgarian side accepts that, it realizes that our identity and our Macedonian language are our right and states don’t negotiate about such things, Zaev said.
Comments are closed for this post.