The topic of the inclusion of Bulgarians in the constitution of North Macedonia must be discussed “strategically and with a vision”, because this topic should open and guarantee membership in The European Union of North Macedonia based on the criteria from Copenhagen, said the Prime Minister of the country, Hristian Mickoski.
At a press conference after a meeting with the Union of Education and Science Workers in the country, Mickoski was asked if he thinks, as the chairman of the Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DSI) Ali Ahmeti claims, that the Bulgarian community in the country is a reality and whether the inclusion of the Bulgarians in the constitution will harm the state.
„Whether it is reality or not, the numbers speak and they say that several hundred citizens here, in (Northern) Macedonia, use the Bulgarian language as their mother tongue. We cannot say that they are not there. Just as there are seven to eight times more Bulgarians in Albania than in (North) Macedonia and this is also a reality. But the Macedonian community in Bulgaria is also a reality. If we are talking about including the Bulgarians in the constitution now, we need to see what rights the Macedonian community in Bulgaria has and compare them (with those the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia has) and then we can draw real conclusions. "We cannot compare grandmothers and frogs," Mickoski said.
In his words, this topic should not be used in “everyday politics”, as Ali Ahmeti does, who “thinks that he can get some dividends this way”, but “this is his strategy”.< /p>
During a meeting with the Bulgarian ambassador to North Macedonia Zhelyazko Radukov the chairman of the State Security Council Ali Ahmeti stated that “the Bulgarian community in the Republic of North Macedonia is a reality and should be included in the constitution of the country, from which no one loses anything, on the contrary, everyone gains” that the negotiation framework of North Macedonia is clear and the condition for the inclusion of Bulgarians in the country's constitution must be fulfilled in order for the country to continue its European integration path.
At the press conference, Mickoski stated that he does not agree with the thesis that there is no understanding in the EU of the positions of North Macedonia regarding his proposal for changes to the constitution, which will come into force after the country becomes a member of the EU. Asked about the letter he said he would send to the European institutions "to find a dignified and consistent with national interests" decision, the prime minister of North Macedonia stated that "it is being prepared", but before it is sent I will talk to “a large part of European politicians” during his participation in the meeting on the Berlin process, because he wants to have “an even clearer picture of where and what he can” to make the government of the country.
Mitskoski stated that there is no information about a meeting with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev during the meeting of the European Political Community in Budapest, but he is ready to sit down and talk. The media in North Macedonia wrote that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is preparing such a meeting, citing “high-ranking Hungarian sources”.
„Both before and after November 7 (when the meeting is in the capital of Hungary) I am ready to talk. It doesn't have to be Budapest, it could be anywhere, let's sit down and talk to find a solution that will be a long-term solution and that will ensure success in the negotiation process based on the Copenhagen criteria. But if such an initiative comes from Mr. Orbán on November 7, I am ready to sit down and discuss, based on arguments, not dictation. "I don't accept dictation," Mickoski said at the press conference.