Bulgarian Member of the European Parliament Andrey Kovatchev said calls for mediation in relations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia are “completely unnecessary” and urged Skopje to uphold the 2017 Treaty of Good Neighbourly Relations.
“I follow with ‘interest’ the statements about an alleged need for mediation. We don’t need such a thing – we have a treaty. Both governments are obliged to meet annually and adopt joint protocols. Since 2017, this has happened only twice,” Kovatchev told Radio Focus in an interview.
He strongly criticised diplomatic efforts by North Macedonia to involve third-party mediators, which were recently announced by the country’s president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova. She said Austria had expressed readiness to mediate between Skopje and Sofia.
“The citizens of North Macedonia are wasting their time. We have a treaty and a framework – we don’t need anyone to reconcile us,” Kovatchev said.
He stressed that North Macedonia’s progress towards EU membership remains contingent on constitutional amendments to include Bulgarians in the constitution, in line with the conclusions adopted by the EU Council in 2022.
“The new report of the European Parliament will emphasise that North Macedonia’s integration is only possible based on those decisions – adopted by all 27 member states and accepted by the Republic of North Macedonia itself,” he said.
Kovatchev added that Sofia is closely monitoring the ongoing trial of Ljupcho Georgievski, the head of the Bulgarian cultural club in Bitola, calling it a key test for the rule of law and protection of human rights in the country.