Hungarian PM says Budapest is ready to work to find a solution that suits both sides, but added that it depends on North Macedonia and Bulgaria whether they are ready to accept Hungary as a mediator, reports the Macedonian media.
Hungary is ready to use its presidency of the European Union and be a mediator between Skopje and Sofia to find a solution to the dispute. This proposal was presented today by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to his Macedonian colleague Hristijan Mickoski during the meeting in Ohrid.
"The next step is to somehow come to an agreement with Bulgaria, and I have a proposal for that, which I submitted to Prime Minister Mickoski. I told him that we are ready to use the presidency of the European Union and mediate on this matter,", Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the press conference after the meeting with Mickoski and the joint intergovernmental session.
Whether Skopje and Sofia are ready to accept Budapest as a mediator, says Orbán, is their business.
"But we are ready and we want to work to find a solution that suits both North Macedonia and Bulgaria, but this is the work of the countries between which there are contradictions," Orban added.
The most important topic of today's meeting with Mickoski, as the Hungarian Prime Minister pointed out, was the accession of North Macedonia to the European Union and Hungary's EU presidency.
"The huge historical mistake of the EU is that it did not start membership negotiations with North Macedonia, and this mistake is now doubled by the separation of Albania in the European integration process, because I do not see the reasons for this decision," said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the joint press conference with North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in Ohrid.
"The peoples and countries of the Western Balkans deserve much more than what they get from Brussels and should have been members of the EU long ago. North Macedonia has been a candidate since 2005, it started together with Croatia, in 2008 together with Croatia it received a positive decision, now Croatia is a member, and negotiations with North Macedonia have not started. This is a huge historical mistake by the EU and it will be a huge challenge for the Macedonian government," said Prime Minister Orban.
"National pride is most important and the EU must take this into account. What is happening to Macedonia is an injury to the national pride of the citizens, which has been happening continuously for 10 years now. You should have been members a long time ago, and this attitude of the EU hurts the soul. We should build friendships, not hurt the soul of a nation. It is a big mistake that you are not a member and now you are being separated from Albania. I see the only solution to this - you have to start negotiations by the end of the year," said Orban.