Joint Session of Governments of North Macedonia, Bulgaria Postponed

Dimitar Kovacevski (BETAPHOTO/NORTH MACEDONIA GOVERNMENT/DS)

A joint session of the governments of North Macedonia and Bulgaria in Skopje has been postponed because "there is no document on an agreement" which would show progress in the negotiations between the two countries, the head of office of the Bulgarian prime minister, Lena Borislavova, said on May 15.

The North Macedonian media reported that Borislavova told Bulgarian National Television that what the Bulgarian government and Prime Minister Kiril Petkov would like to see "is some proof that the Republic of North Macedonia has a serious attitude toward hate speech and discrimination against the Bulgarian ethnic population."

"There will be no visit soon because we do not have a document that we can make based on a good neighborly agreement. Therefore, as the Macedonian side confirmed on May 14, the intergovernmental conference has been postponed until we see steps related to the fulfillment of criteria and understanding, which demonstrate protection from discrimination against the Bulgarian ethnic minority," Borislavova said.

North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said on May 14 that there would be no planned joint session of the two governments in Skopje on May 22, "because the agendas do not allow it," but underscored that there was no harmonized solution to controversial issues which could serve as the basis for an agreement between Sofia and Skopje either, and that there would be no solution until it was based on European values and dignity.