A tentative attempt to restart dialogue between North Macedonia and Bulgaria is already exposing how far apart the two neighbours remain. Skopje wants guarantees against future bilateral conditions, Sofia says the commitments are already settled, while President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is calling for a domestic consensus before any new compromise is taken abroad.
SKOPJE/SOFIA, Oct 6 (BalkanView) — North Macedonia and Bulgaria are preparing for their first high-level diplomatic contact under a new attempt to unblock Skopje’s path towards the European Union, but statements from both capitals suggest expectations of an immediate breakthrough are low.
North Macedonian Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski and his Bulgarian counterpart Velislava Petrova-Chamova are expected in Sofia on Thursday for a conference on Corridor 8, the strategic transport route connecting Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Albania.
The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has said there would be an opportunity for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the event, although Skopje has yet to announce a formally scheduled meeting.
North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said he did not expect much.
“Given the behaviour of official Sofia, I do not expect confirmation, I do not expect anything,” Mickoski said. He suggested the encounter could amount to little more than an informal “pull-aside” conversation.
The cautious assessment comes only days after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Skopje and encouraged renewed dialogue between the two neighbours.
Mickoski subsequently instructed Mucunski to initiate contact with Sofia, presenting direct talks as a possible first step towards finding a way out of an accession dispute that has effectively stalled North Macedonia’s EU negotiations.
But even before the ministers meet, disagreements over history, constitutional changes and the nature of the dispute have again surfaced.
Skopje wants guarantees, Sofia says the deal is already done
At the heart of the dispute is North Macedonia’s obligation under the EU-backed 2022 arrangement to amend its constitution to include Bulgarians among the communities explicitly mentioned in the document.
The government in Skopje says it is prepared for dialogue but wants guarantees that implementing the constitutional change will not be followed by additional Bulgarian bilateral demands later in the accession process.
Sofia’s position is fundamentally different.
Bulgaria argues that the commitments have already been incorporated into North Macedonia’s EU accession framework and that Skopje must fulfil them rather than reopen negotiations over what was agreed.
That leaves the two governments arguing not only about the solution but also about the nature of the problem.
Bulgarian officials and politicians have repeatedly maintained that North Macedonia’s obligations are now towards the European Union, rather than merely towards Bulgaria.
Skopje continues to insist that bilateral issues should not be allowed to generate new obstacles at successive stages of accession.
Siljanovska-Davkova calls for agreement at home first
North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova has added another element to the debate, arguing that the country needs a broader internal political consensus before attempting to negotiate questions of national importance abroad.
In an interview with Sitel television, she said von der Leyen’s visit demonstrated the EU’s strong interest in breaking the deadlock.
Siljanovska-Davkova also pointed to differing interpretations of the dispute.
According to her, Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova maintains that the issue is no longer bilateral but one between North Macedonia and the European Union, while von der Leyen has encouraged the two countries to talk directly and exchange their differing positions.
Siljanovska-Davkova said the problem could therefore not be reduced entirely to either interpretation.
She also returned to an idea repeatedly discussed in Skopje: constitutional amendments whose implementation would be delayed until North Macedonia reaches a later stage of EU accession.
For such an approach, she said, the government should first seek a broad agreement among domestic political actors.
“You don’t go abroad without first achieving consensus at home and without an agreement, when we are talking about issues of national interest,” Siljanovska-Davkova said.
She did not single out the opposition Social Democrats, or SDSM, as the obstacle, saying instead that the country needed a unified position despite differences between government and opposition.
Opposition accuses Mickoski of undermining talks
SDSM, however, accused Mickoski of damaging the atmosphere before the Sofia talks had even begun.
The opposition party pointed to the prime minister’s recent comments about Bulgaria’s role during World War Two, including his reference to the “capitulation of fascist Bulgaria” and the occupation of the territory of present-day North Macedonia.
“He is not talking about a solution. He is talking in a way that makes it impossible even to sit at the table,” SDSM said.
“The meeting has already been undermined. By Mickoski.”
SDSM argued that historical questions should primarily be dealt with by historians while political institutions concentrate on dialogue and European integration.
Mickoski’s comments came as he discussed the recent transfer from Greece to Bulgaria of human remains attributed to medieval ruler Tsar Samuel, a historical figure claimed as part of competing national narratives in the region.
The controversy demonstrated how quickly historical disputes can return to contemporary North Macedonian-Bulgarian politics even when the immediate subject is EU accession.
Bulgarian commentators see no breakthrough
Bulgarian commentators have also sought to dampen expectations surrounding Thursday’s contact.
Journalists Nina Spasova and Lyubcho Neshkov told Bulgarian broadcaster bTV that they saw no indication that Skopje was preparing to change its position on constitutional amendments.
“There are categorically no signs that Macedonia will change its policy,” Spasova said.
Neshkov argued that a meeting between two foreign ministers should not itself be presented as a diplomatic breakthrough.
“It should not be news in itself that two diplomats meet. That is their job,” he said.
He sharply criticised the North Macedonian government’s approach since it came to power in 2024, accusing it of hostility and a lack of willingness to advance towards EU membership.
Neshkov also dismissed previous proposals for outside mediation involving other European governments, arguing that searching for mediators did not address the substance of the dispute.
He went further, claiming that continued delays were creating space for North Macedonia to gravitate towards what he called the “Serbian world” — a politically charged interpretation reflecting his assessment rather than an established policy of the North Macedonian government.
A new dialogue, but no new formula
The immediate significance of the Sofia contact may therefore be less about reaching an agreement than about determining whether the two governments can restore a functioning political dialogue.
Von der Leyen’s intervention has provided momentum for direct contact.
But neither side has publicly indicated a fundamental change in its position.
Sofia expects Skopje to implement the constitutional amendment envisaged under the existing EU framework.
Skopje wants assurances that doing so will close, rather than open, the door to further bilateral conditions.
Siljanovska-Davkova wants greater political consensus at home before major concessions are considered.
And the opposition argues that Mickoski’s rhetoric is making dialogue more difficult before it has properly restarted.
Even the status of Thursday’s encounter illustrates the fragility of the process: Sofia says there is an opportunity for bilateral talks, while Mickoski says he expects little more than an informal conversation on the sidelines.
That makes an immediate breakthrough unlikely to be the only measure of success.
After years in which history, identity and constitutional questions have repeatedly overshadowed North Macedonia’s EU ambitions, simply establishing sustained direct communication could become the first test.
The larger test will come afterwards: whether Skopje and Sofia can turn dialogue into a formula that both satisfies the existing EU accession framework and gives North Macedonia enough political certainty to secure the constitutional majority required at home.