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Skopje – Bulgarian President Rumen Radev believes that there is no need for mediation in the talks between Skopje and Sofia, for the continuation of the country’s negotiations, reported BTA.
When asked to comment on Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski’s statement that he is ready to hold talks with the Bulgarian president, Radev said that he has always been open to dialogue, but, according to him, a distinction should be made between dialogue and negotiations.
– The negotiations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia ended in July 2022, when the two countries signed the Bilateral Protocol of the Good Neighbor Agreement. If we talk about dialogue, it should be conducted between North Macedonia and the European Commission and based on the accepted Negotiating Framework for North Macedonia, which with consensus, has been unanimously adopted by all EU member states and accepted by the Government of North Macedonia, said Radev.
According to him, things are more than clear and North Macedonia should fulfill the requirements set by the European Union, and Bulgaria, he said, can assist in this process. – And I will repeat for the umpteenth time, we are ready and we have to help. It is our responsibility, and that is to help North Macedonia fulfill the conditions set out in the bilateral protocol and the Negotiating Framework more quickly and effectively, so that they can walk more confidently on the European path, said the Bulgarian president. (October 13)
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