President Stevo Pendarovski, who is paying a working visit to Brussels, shared a message on Tuesday that North Macedonia is ready to immediately sit for talks with Bulgaria in order to overcome the bilateral dispute and open the path to the EU, MIA’s Brussels correspondent reports.
President Pendarovski on Tuesday met with top EU officials including the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the Vice President of the European Commission and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, the EU Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, the MEP and Rapporteur for North Macedonia Ilhan Kyuchyuk, and the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade–Prishtina dialogue and Other Western Balkan Regional Issues Miroslav Lajčák.
According to Pendarovski, discussions largely focused on the dispute with Bulgaria due to which North Macedonia can’t hold the first intergovernmental conference with the EU, despite the green light to start negotiations received more than a year ago from the EU.
The problem, Pendarovski added, is that the elections in Bulgaria ended without a clear winner and new elections will probably be held in July. Until then, there will only be a technical government that has no legitimacy to make decisions.
“We’re ready at this very moment to sit for talks,” the President said, “but with the well-known red lined in the negotiations.”
According to him, it was now necessary to identify an interlocutor from the Bulgarian side, whether it be an individual, an institution or government.
“It only depends on Bulgaria,” said President Pendarovski.
