Asked what is being negotiated with Bulgaria, Prime Minister Zaev said that Portugal’s proposal is on the table. However, Bulgaria expressly rejected that proposal. This was confirmed after the meeting of Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva during his visit to Sofia and Skopje.

It is the roadmap we are talking about. I believe if it is adopted, it will definitely be confirmed at an intergovernmental conference chaired by the two foreign ministers, our Minister and the Bulgarian Foreign Minister. Everything else is being discussed under the leadership of the Portuguese presidency. The focus is real there because Europe is facing the possibility of making a decision on June 22, said Zaev on Tuesday.

VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski told reporters on Monday that he did not want to comment on Portugal’s proposal, although he was familiar with it because Bulgaria had rejected it anyway.