French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country holds the EU Presidency by the end of June, is hoping that an agreement between Skopje and Sofia on the negotiating framework is still possible, MIA reports from Brussels.

We are close to an agreement that provides justice for the Bulgarian demands and is compatible with what Macedonia can do, visibility and trust are needed, in the next few hours there will be a vote in the Bulgarian Parliament, we will look at the Bulgarian president and the current majority parties. opposition parties, Macron said, adding that with the “North Macedonians” he would look for a way to reach agreement, to pass to the ambassadorial level by next week and to unblock the process.

He saluted the courage of some leaders of Macedonia such as Zoran Zaev, who changed the Constitution and the name of the country.

One member state has been late in calling for change, Macron told Bulgaria, adding that the EU could not pretend they did not exist and that there was a political crisis in Bulgaria. He also praised Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov for his political courage.

Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski rejected Thursday France’s proposal for a negotiating framework, saying only an agreement that respects the country’s red lines could be accepted. Those red lines are, among other things, the language, history, and change of the Constitution.