The President of North Macedonia Gordana Siljanovska said that the dispute over the country's European integration cannot be defined either as a bilateral issue with Bulgaria or as a problem between Skopje and the European Union. She commented on the topic in an interview with the TV channel “Sitel“.
At the heart of the dispute is the condition for the inclusion of Bulgarians and other communities in the constitution of North Macedonia. This is necessary in order to continue the initial phase of the EU membership negotiations and to open the first negotiation cluster.
“You cannot qualify the problem as both bilateral and as a problem with the EU“, said Siljanovska.According to her, on the Action Plan for the Rights of Minorities and Communities in North Macedonia, as before, there have been no comments from countries other than Bulgaria. She pointed out that Sofia defines the issue as EU-related, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls on the two sides to talk and seek a solution through dialogue.
The President disputes the role of the protocols
Silianovska said that the protocols signed between Bulgaria and North Macedonia are part of the conclusions of the EU Council, but in her opinion are not part of the country's negotiating framework.
„You cannot change a bilateral agreement with a protocol“, the president said.She raised the question of whether the protocols could be used as an argument to block North Macedonia's European path. According to her, the predictability of the process depends on the answer to this question.
Silyanovska announced that the European negotiator for North Macedonia, Thomas Weitz, has asked the European Council's legal service to rule on the nature of the protocols and their role in the negotiation process.
Skopje does not guarantee the constitutional changes
The president stated that he could not guarantee the adoption of the constitutional changes. They require a two-thirds majority in the Parliament of North Macedonia.
“The MPs represent the citizens and, as in any European Parliament, vote according to their own convictions“, said Siljanovska.
She also expressed doubts about the inclusion in the negotiation framework of Bulgaria's unilateral declaration on the language in North Macedonia. According to Siljanovska, if the European Union truly accepts that there is no problem with the country's language and identity, it is unclear why such issues are included in the documents.
Von der Leyen: One crucial step remains
During her visit to Skopje, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that North Macedonia will be accepted into the EU with its identity and language. She defined the constitutional changes as a crucial step to continue the process and open the first negotiation cluster.
“We will welcome North Macedonia with its identity and language“, said Von der Leyen.During her visit, she advised Prime Minister Hristiyan Mickoski to seek a meeting with the Bulgarian Foreign Minister during the upcoming meeting in Sofia on the railway corridor 8. The aim is to restore North Macedonia's path to negotiations with the EU.
In its conclusions, the Council of the EU stated that the initial phase of the negotiations would be completed once North Macedonia fulfilled its commitment to accept the constitutional changes that include citizens belonging to other nations, including Bulgarians.
Sources: bta.bg