Position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the declaration of the Bundestag on the Republic of North Macedonia
16 June 2023 News.JPG)
The Bundestag declaration is an internal act which does not change the decisions taken by the EU Council in July 2022 on the European path of North Macedonia. It in no way changes Bulgaria's national position, reaffirmed by the Decision of the 47th National Assembly of Bulgaria in adopting the July 2022 compromise.
The Declaration contains no new points regarding the European integration process of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Declaration essentially supports the process of changing the Constitution of North Macedonia to guarantee equal rights and freedoms for Bulgarians with the other peoples in the country. This is also a fundamental demand of the Bulgarians in North Macedonia.
It is essential that the document does not encourage attempts to renegotiate or failure to comply with elements of the compromise reached in 2022.
We recall that, in line with the EU Council Conclusions and the Negotiating Framework, it is important to achieve tangible results and to implement in good faith bilateral agreements, including the Prespa Agreement and the 2017 Good Neighbour Agreement with Bulgaria, as well as the Protocols of the joint intergovernmental meetings under Article 12 of the Treaty. It should be recalled that the Council of the EU took note of Bulgaria's position on the official language of North Macedonia in its declaration in July 2022, which remains unchanged.