MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk says he sees huge opportunities in the Bulgarian-Macedonian relations, which according to him require the two countries to restore trust before settling all open issues. Blockade, he notes, helps no one, neither the EU nor the two countries.
“As politicians it is our duty to lay down the Bulgarian-Macedonian relations and regional issues, also the European issues, on an improved perspective, says Kyuchyuk, who also serves as the European Parliament’s rapporteur for North Macedonia.
In an interview with TV24’s Triling show, he calls for trust to be restored into the Friendship Treaty, saying it has laid a solid foundation for solving some historical issues and establishing a new perspective for the two countries. Both sides, the Bulgarian MEP says, have lost trust, which is key for re-opening all political issues at the table for negotiations and for finding a solution.
“A compromise is a solution that will be best accepted. If there’s will, it can be found. It is what the people in the two countries deserve,” Kyuchyuk says.
Nationalism, he notes, must be cast aside in the process of building trust and settling open issues.
“Nationalism is a huge obstacle. I’m talking about two nationalisms, one here in Skopje, and the other one in Sofia. It was never the creator of friendship, it can only create hatred and intolerance,” said MEP Kyuchyuk.
