For Bulgarians to be included in the Macedonian Constitution, Sofia must implement the Strasbourg rulings regarding the registration of Macedonian associations, Macedonian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Zoran Dimitrovski said Saturday, refuting Bulgarian media reports that, as he put it, inaccurately conveyed his remarks from a debate held in Sofia.
“Several media outlets reported in today’s headlines that, during the debate in Sofia, I stated that including Bulgarians in the Constitution was not an issue; they ran sensationalist headlines to that effect, which could mislead Macedonian readers. Unfortunately, the headlines failed to convey the context in which I spoke about human rights, specifically, that Sofia must simultaneously implement the Strasbourg rulings regarding the registration of Macedonian associations,” Dimitrovski pointed out.
The Deputy FM adds that the Government’s positions remain unchanged: reciprocity in relations, and keeping issues of history and identity outside the negotiation process for Macedonia’s EU integration.