The inclusion of Bulgarians in the constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia, included as a condition in the country's negotiating framework for EU membership was created in order to save Bulgaria's image after the EU rejected the other Bulgarian demands, the president of North Macedonia and candidate for a second term, Stevo Pendarovski, said in an interview with Channel 5, quoted by BTA.
„Of the many illogical Bulgarian demands related to identity, language, occupation-administration, only that remained for the inclusion of Bulgarians in the constitution. Because Europe rejected all the demands of the Bulgarians, Europe said, "let's do at least this (the inclusion of the Bulgarians in the basic law) when you already have such a constitution." When you compromise ... you reject their revision of history, you reject that Macedonian is a dialect of the Bulgarian language and that we were Bulgarians until 44, then what is left? This was to save the image of the Bulgarian negotiating party. "If you already have seven and add six more parts of nations, this is not a strategic danger for North Macedonia," said Pendarovski.
According to him, despite the fact that VMRO-DPME talks differently with foreign diplomats and with its electorate, if the party forms the next government in North Macedonia, changes to the constitution will not be voted on, because it would be difficult for them to explain, years from now statements that the negotiation framework aims to bulgarize the country, this was only an election tactic.
Pendarovski again quotes the presidential candidate nominated by VMRO-DPMNE that “history is not a condition for starting negotiations” with the EU, explained that in addition to the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborship, the Prespa Treaty with Greece and the Ohrid Framework Treaty are present in the negotiation framework, and the only condition in it is that the Bulgarians be included in the country's constitution.
„If we accept the changes in the constitution and Bulgaria vetoes us at all during the negotiations, it will not be because of history. If they don't want us there (in the EU), they will find something else. Have you heard of any historical commissions around the world making progress? Find a European politician who has said that if the historical commission does not agree and we do not resolve the historical dispute, Europe should be forgotten, Pendarovski said.
When asked about his statement that Gotse Delchev was a Bulgarian who fought for an independent Macedonia, Pendarovski stated that “this position for Gotse Delchev is the only possible one and the closest to the historical truth”.
„I am not saying how he felt, but how he declared himself at a time when there was no Macedonian state. But is it a fact what he fought for? There is no historical data that Gotse Delchev fought for San Stefano Bulgaria or for the accession of Macedonia to Bulgaria, but he declared himself, as written in the documents. "Where did he get his salary as a teacher," Pendarovski said.
According to him, there was no progress in the joint historical commission because “except for one or two historians from the Bulgarian side” they all behaved not as historians, but as politicians, in order to “please the Bulgarian politicians”.
„They want us to find the dark spots in our history, because it was communist, and they were the strongest communism in Europe at the time, after East Germany, Romania and Albania. Who is lecturing whom?”, Pendarovski asked.
The address “where are you, love (loves)”, to Boyko Borisov, which in the election campaign in North Macedonia was used in VMRO-DPMNE videos against Pendarovski, he called propaganda, explaining how he wanted to appeal to Borisov, during a meeting in Sarajevo with the chorus of football fans “youths”, but because he saw that the Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Burnabic was standing next to him and with his “bad Bulgarian” pronounced "where are you, beautiful", and the propaganda turned it to “loves”.
Pendarovski also told about his meeting with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, during his inauguration in 2019. Then Radev was the first president with whom Pendarovski met at the residence of the President of North Macedonia, Villa “Vodno”. According to his story, in the short 20-minute meeting, which traditionally passes courteously, to his surprise, Radev “started with harsh criticism for the non-fulfillment of the agreement with Bulgaria”. He indicated that it should be implemented as North Macedonia implements the agreement with Greece, and Pendarovski explained that while the Prespa agreement is international, the one with Bulgaria is bilateral.
„Even then it became clear to me that he will be the main generator of the stumbling blocks ahead of us”, Pendarovski pointed out.
In his interview, he pointed out that by delaying its membership in the EU, North Macedonia misses the opportunities to absorb funds from various European funds, and on the occasion of the expected results of the elections, which will be held on Wednesday, he said that “the first election round for president is only a warm-up for the second round, when it will finally be decided” who will be the president of the country in the coming years.