Outgoing Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that he spoke with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, and decided that there is no need to send a protest note to the Bulgarian Government. Zaev initially said that he will react after the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences issued a declaration insisting that the Macedonian language is not a separate, individual language, but a dialect of the Bulgarian language.

It’s not always necessary to respond with a protest note. Sometimes we protest, other times we withdraw our ambassador, and sometimes we talk. I’ve already communicated with Prime Minister Borisov, and we are supposed to meet by the end of this year or early next year, Zaev said.

Zaev and Borisov signed a treaty in 2017 under which Bulgaria said it will not block Macedonia from opening EU accession talks, but in exchange Macedonia agreed to an intrusive process to modify its history books and public discourse and Bulgarian politicians are now calling on Macedonia to accept that chunks of its history and historic figures are in fact Bulgarian. Zaev insists that the treaty, which was signed in Bulgarian and in Macedonian, but with the Macedonian language described as “as defined in the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia”, recognized the Macedonian language.

Bulgaria is a European country, it is a great friend of North Macedonia and the Macedonian people and I believe that we can resolve these issues through dialogue, since they are sensitive. We intend to be Europeans and we want to join the EU. Bulgaria is our friend and we don’t need such discordant tones that harm our friendship. It’s not acceptable that we open identity issues in the 21st century. In the treaty with Greece which we signed it is declared that we are Macedonians from the Republic of North Macedonia who speak the Macedonian language and Bulgaria knows it. We signed a treaty, Zaev insisted.