Bulgaria insists on sustainable European solutions to the challenges facing Skopje's European integration

The position of Bulgaria on the European perspective of the Republic of North Macedonia is consistent and clear, reads the official position of Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. EU enlargement policy should be based on the fulfillment of the Copenhagen criteria for membership of the Union.

The Bulgarian side insists on reliable guarantees that Bulgaria's fundamental interests will not be violated. The practice of trampling on the rights of people with Bulgarian self-consciousness in the Republic of North Macedonia must be stopped, the position reads. Regardless of the challenges, Bulgaria and North Macedonia should develop full-fledged and neighborhood-based relations in all areas. Effective implementation of the Treaty should be among the criteria in the Negotiating Framework for the Republic of North Macedonia. At the same time, the open approach demonstrated by North Macedonia on this topic, including the adoption of the Neighborhood Criteria in the Negotiating Framework, is to be welcomed.

The Bulgarian side expresses its readiness for a constructive dialogue during the forthcoming Slovenian Presidency, as well as during the next Presidencies of the Council of the EU, for achieving sustainable results in the EU enlargement with the countries of the Western Balkans, which would undoubtedly benefit the whole region and its European future, the Foreign Ministry concluded. /BGNES