Outgoing Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that his Government will react to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, which came out with a position that the Macedonian language does not exist as an independent language, and is merely a western Bulgarian dialect.

We will respond because this issue is part of the issue of resolving the problems between the Republic of “North” Macedonia and Bulgaria under the friendship and good-neighborliness treaty. I believe that we have to resolve it. I don’t know their position, I’m just hearing about it. We will of course reach through our Foreign Ministry and we will prepare our response once we read their position, Zaev said.

Zaev signed a treaty with Bulgaria which opens a process of aligning the positions of both countries on historic and cultural issues, a process in which Bulgaria has the upper hand as it can block Macedonia from opening EU accession talks. Zaev today insisted that the treaty he signed was signed in both Macedonian and Bulgarian – according to the constitutions of both countries – which is a position Bulgaria insists on to avoid recognizing the Macedonian language as a stand-alone national language. Zaev acknowledged that this comment reveals that “Bulgaria still hasn’t come to grips with recognizing our Macedonian language”, before appealing to respect for European style democracy and universal values and human rights. The outgoing Prime Minister said that this does not mean Macedonia will break off the already stalled talks with Bulgaria that relate to historic issues.

Through friendship we will find the solutions. We are definitely Macedonians who speak the Macedonian language, the most of us anyway, this is after all a multi-ethnic country and there are other ethnic groups who live here. I expect that our friendly Bulgaria will overcome this issue and it will be resolved along with all the other issues in the treaty such as the Goce Delcev issue, Zaev said, referring to Bulgarian demands that Macedonian historians publicly declare the hero of VMRO and of the Macedonian national struggle as an ethnic Bulgarian.

The move by the Bulgarian Academy comes after the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts issued a declaration on the Macedonian language, calling its uniqueness as well determined scientific fact and asking for additional funds to promote it at home and internationally.