Position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria
16 July 2023 News
With regard to the numerous media questions on the substance of the 2022 European compromise for the EU path of the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Bulgaria would like to reiterate the following:
A fundamental principle of international law is Pacta sunt servanda. Agreements must be kept, regardless of their multilateral or bilateral character. Non-implementation of signed agreements breaches trust, coherence and predictability in the relations between states and provokes retaliatory measures. We have always relied on our friends in North Macedonia for the implementation of all mutualy agreed obligations in good faith, not for misinterpreations on whether and to what extent the EU-integration requires such implementation.
The path of North Macedonia to EU membership has clearly layed-out parameters. It is irresponsible and counterproductive to disturb the hard-reached agreement and delicate balance with misinterpretations diverging from clearly established criteria on this matter by the Council of the EU. Especially dangerous are the attempts for manipulative presentation of conditions, previously agreed upon and set forth in the 2022 compromise, as some new requests by the Republic of Bulgaria.
The Negotiating Framework, which will be presented to North Macedonia following the completion of the opening phase of the Accession Negotiations, as agreed by the Council of the EU, specifically lays out the principles governing these negotiations. Article 5 underscores that progress of the candidate country will be measured in particular against clearly outlined requirements, among which are the Copenhagen criteria, the Stabilisation and Association Process and “…North Macedonia’s commitment to good neighbourly relations and closer regional cooperation, including through achieving tangible results and implementing in good faith bilateral agreements, including […] the Treaty on Good Neighbourly Relations with Bulgaria of 2017 as well as the annual reviews and measures for its effective implementation under its Article 12…”.
Bulgaria has NO new conditions for North Macedonia. On the contrary, we wholeheartedly desire to witness the progress of our neighbor towards full EU membership through successes in the reform process and through efforts in building goodneighborly relations. We expect the first step on this path, in accordance with the obligations Skopje signed in July 2022 – “…the entry into force of the amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia to include those of its citizens who live on the territory of this country and are part of other peoples, such as the Bulgarian people, according to internal procedures, including through a constitutional law for their implementation”.
With regard to the escalating problem with the rights and the security of Bulgarians in North Macedonia and the hate-crime against Mr. Hristijan Pendikov we would like to reiterate, that the second of the alleged assailants is yet to be apprehended and has thus far successfully evaded justice, while the first alleged assailant is continuously hindering the trial proceedings and has applied for the return of his international passport. Therefore the institutions of North Macedonia have yet to prove the seriousness, with which they plan to prosecute hate-crimes against Bulgarians in the neighboring country.