The so-called French proposal “is perhaps the only one in modern Europe in which a country's membership in the EU depends on the work of the commission that interprets history”, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in the parliament of North Macedonia in response to a parliamentary question, BTA reports.
According to Mickoski, the protocol signed by the previous Minister of Foreign Affairs Buyar Osmani clearly states that the joint multidisciplinary commission on historical and educational issues between Bulgaria and North Macedonia “must complete its work before (North) Macedonia becomes a member of the EU”.
“Even if we were in this (negotiating) team when this treaty was being negotiated, we would not have accepted it”, said Mickoski.
The question addressed to him was from the chairman of SDSM Venko Filipce, who expressed concerns that with The inclusion of the term “Macedonian nation and language” in the country's progress report, which the EP Foreign Affairs Committee approved, “for the first time there is a serious risk of adopting (in the EP) a report in which the language is additionally marked in some way”. The report will be voted on in the EU in July, and the EPP announced that they will submit an amendment, with which they will again propose adding “modern” to this term. Filipce asked whether, within this governing mandate, the government of North Macedonia will find the promised way to improve the country's negotiating position on its path to EU membership.
”I have no problem putting 30 (ethnic communities) in the constitution, but I have a problem discussing a topic in which someone constantly denies us, constantly delays us and denies us the right to be who we are. I have the right to doubt that this is not the last concession that we have to make and that something new will happen to us along the way, until we finish the race,”, said Mickoski regarding the condition for the inclusion of Bulgarians in North Macedonia in the country's constitution.
According to the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, in the previous two years, an EP report on the country's progress on its path to the EU was not adopted, “because it was not about Macedonian identity and language at all, but about the North Macedonian language and identity, which is completely different from the current report, in which Macedonian identity and language are present in three places”.
”Here, the Bulgarian representatives, through an MEP who spoke on behalf of several groups, including the EPP, the Socialists, where SDSM is, the Liberals and the Greens, proposed modifying the Macedonian identity and language with the word “modern”. The essence is not the Bulgarians (to be included) in the constitution (of North Macedonia), but to create a new toponym. A new, modern Macedonian identity and language. And this is the essence of the French proposal, although we warned. We have two weeks, we will continue to work with the MEPs and with everyone, I hope you will work too, we all have to unite. So I can tell you that we will do everything in our power to start the negotiations, but we will not do it as “modern” Macedonians“, said Prime Minister Mickovski.
He reiterated his thesis that there is nothing illegitimate or wrong in the request “Macedonians (in Bulgaria) to be included in the Council of Ministers, which manages a committee working with ethnic communities”, but first Bulgaria must implement the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, “allow the OMO “Ilinden Pirin“ to register and then (the association) propose its member to this committee”.
“If they say (to include) Bulgarians in the constitution, the least we can do as a parliament is to all together demand that Macedonians be part of the Council of Ministers, which works with this committee for ethnic communities”, said Mickovski.