Despite “pressure from its European partners”, Bulgaria will not give in on the opening of EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia until bilateral issues are resolved, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev warned on Friday 25 June.
“The pressure will continue, but we have shown that we can be open to constructive dialogue and that we can initiate the dialogue and unblock it at the highest level. But we will also not allow to have our arm twisted via lobbying or media or political pressure”, he warned on his arrival at the European Council.
The President explained that his country could not turn a blind eye to “discrimination” of citizens of North Macedonia “just because they determine themselves as Bulgarians - something that is breaching EU values and principles”.
He warned that his country would not be able to “say yes” to the opening of accession negotiations until it had seen sustainable mechanisms to “root out the ill-intended narrative and attitude” towards his country from school books, museums, monuments, media or government policy and until being convinced that North Macedonia “won’t be building its identity by stealing from Bulgaria’s history”.
According to Mr Radev, Skopje’s European perspective “depends on its engagement and dialogue with Bulgaria”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)