Republic of North Macedonia
Bulgaria pursues a policy of good neighbourly and friendly relations and comprehensive cooperation with the Republic of North Macedonia as an independent and sovereign state. Bulgaria also provides consistent support for the process of European integration of the country, based on the principle of fulfilling the necessary criteria, as the main one is the good neighbourly relations.
On January 15, 1992, Bulgaria was the first country to officially recognise the Republic of Macedonia. On September 12, 1992, Consulates General of the two countries were opened in Sofia and Skopje, respectively. On December 21, 1993, both counties established diplomatic relations at the embassy level.
On August 1, 2017 the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia signed a Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation, which entered into force through the exchange of ratification instruments between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs on February 14, 2018.
On February 20, 2019, the National Assembly ratified the Protocol on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO, which was one of its first ratifications.
Bulgaria remains among the most active supporters of the European integration of the Western Balkans, including of the Republic of North Macedonia. However, the EU accession process is merit-based and requires adherence to a set of clear and definite criteria and core European values, including good-neighbourly relations.
Therefore, we insist on a serious and tangible commitment on behalf of the Republic of North Macedonia to building genuine good-neighbourly relations with Bulgaria and to creating credible guarantees for the thorough and in good faith implementation of the bilateral Treaty of friendship, good-neighbourliness and cooperation from 2017. The Bulgarian position on the European perspective of the Republic of North Macedonia is based on the Framework position of the Government from October 2019, confirmed by the Declaration of the 44th National Assembly.
The Republic of North Macedonia is a major beneficiary of official development assistance provided annually by Bulgaria.