The Republic of North Macedonia will not make changes to its constitution unless the European Union provides guarantees that this is the last condition for the country, he told “Politico” North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski during his visit to Brussels.
"Our fear is: if we make them (the constitutional changes), what will happen if in six months Bulgaria again raises demands on us on issues such as history, identity and language?", Mucunski asks in the interview.
Back in June, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov made it clear that Bulgaria would not set any different conditions for the start of accession negotiations between the EU and the Republic of North Macedonia, apart from the 2022 compromise, which envisages the inclusion of the Bulgarian community in the constitution of the neighboring country.
The constitutional changes are part of Skopje's negotiating framework with the EU, adopted by North Macedonia itself and all member states. In its publication "Politiko" defines the changes simply as Bulgaria's demand for North Macedonia to be recognized as a Bulgarian minority, recalling that the previous government in Skopje adopted it, but failed to implement it due to a lack of a majority in parliament.
Although it is not willing to change the constitution for now, North Macedonia, according to Mucunski, can continue with other reforms in order to join the EU, "Politico" also writes.
"If tomorrow the member states come to us and say that we need to do more for good governance, the rule of law... we understand. And we not only understand, but we also believe that this is an obligation that we must undertake, not only at the request of the EU institutions, but also because of the need for a stronger society," he pointed out.
Regarding the speed with which the membership applications of Ukraine and Moldova are progressing, Mucunski said that he "understands the strategic need for member states to open their doors to Ukraine," but added that "the fastest and probably the cheapest investment in European stability that can be made is for the European Union to open its doors to the entire region as soon as possible. Because I do not think that selective enlargement is the best option," Mucunski argued.