Bulgaria cannot change its positions; its Parliament has adopted a declaration and the government a decision. What’s being said within the EU is the bloc’s problem, here it isn’t our problem, Bulgarian Ambassador Angel Angelov said Wednesday.
After a working breakfast organized by the Foreign Ministry as part of North Macedonia-Bulgaria presidency of the Berlin Process, he spoke to members of the media when asked whether Sofia might change its position regarding the negotiating framework for North Macedonia included in the explanatory memorandum, which disputes, among other things, the Macedonian language and nation.
The negotiating framework is at today’s agenda of COREPER (Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union) in Brussels.
Asked whether Bulgaria could veto the first intergovernmental conference by the end of the year if the historians from the two countries in the joint commission failed to find an agreement on the open issues, the Bulgarian Ambassador fell short of answering, saying only that today’s meeting at the Foreign Ministry was focused on the Berlin Process.
“We’re now focused on making sure the Berlin Process is completed and showing Europe that together we can finish something successfully,” Angelov said.
Asked to comment where Bulgaria has identified territorial ambitions in the Prespa Agreement from the Macedonian side with the use of the country’s now short name, Ambassador Angelov once again fell short of answering, reiterating that today’s meeting was held in the context of the Berlin Process.
The Berlin Process, according to him, is very important and is expected to help the two countries build confidence.
“We have great expectations that the Berlin Process will bring the administrations of the two countries closers, because as co-chairs we expect the ministerial meetings to produce results. The two administrations were supposed to work together, but the COVID outbreak ruined the plans. Despite that, I believe ultimately we will manage to produce some results that will be tangible and that will contribute to the region to join the EU,” said Angelov.
