Bulgaria insists that North Macedonia fully respect the 2017 Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation, former Prime Minister and GERB party leader Boyko Borissov told reporters in Parliament on Friday, amid renewed discussions on Skopje’s EU accession path.
“We have a treaty, known also as the French proposal, and we insist that all parties adhere to it,” Borissov said, referring to a draft resolution the Bulgarian parliament is set to debate on North Macedonia’s progress toward EU membership.
“Any provocations are not in anyone’s interest,” he added.
Borissov emphasized that the treaty remains a fundamental document in bilateral relations and the modern history of the region. He said he had spoken on the matter with European Council President António Costa, European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber, and other EPP colleagues.
Borissov cited recent incidents, including the burning of cultural clubs and North Macedonia’s continued delay in amending its Constitution to include Bulgarians as a recognized minority, as provocations. “At the same time, we’ve issued over 100,000 passports to citizens of North Macedonia,” he noted.
On domestic matters, Borissov responded to criticism by President Rumen Radev over the government’s handling of Bulgaria’s eurozone bid and payments related to the Botas pipeline deal. “Did Radev say anything about the money we owe for Botas?” he asked.
Commenting on the recent appointment of Plamen Tonchev as head of the Commission for Access to Documents of the Former State Security Services, Borissov said: “Until recently, when you and our colleagues from PP-DB accused me of protecting Tonchev and Radev’s people in the services, there were no such questions. Now he’s been selected for a new role—we voted for him.”
Borissov said he had not personally spoken with Tonchev about the move, but noted that “we’ve changed several heads of DANS over the years; this one had the opportunity to become commission chairman.”
Regarding the current government, Borissov reiterated that while it operates under a GERB mandate, “it’s like a caretaker mandate.” A government led by him would only exist, he said, “when Borissov is Prime Minister.”
Asked whether he would return as premier following a positive convergence report on euro adoption, Borissov said he could “walk back through the front door.” However, he dismissed the idea of reshaping the current government, calling it “absurd” under present conditions.
He reaffirmed Bulgaria’s eurozone entry as a top priority, and said GERB continues to hold the majority, supported on key issues by There Is Such a People (ITN), the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), and the DPS – New Beginning movement.