Skopje, 16 July 2023 (MIA) - Bulgaria has no new conditions for North Macedonia, says the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) with regard to the numerous media questions on the "substance of the 2022 European compromise for the EU path of the Republic of North Macedonia".

"Bulgaria has NO new conditions for North Macedonia. On the contrary, we wholeheartedly desire to witness the progress of our neighbor towards full EU membership through successes in the reform process and through efforts in building goodneighborly relations. We expect the first step on this path, in accordance with the obligations Skopje signed in July 2022 – '…the entry into force of the amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia to include those of its citizens who live on the territory of this country and are part of other peoples, such as the Bulgarian people, according to internal procedures, including through a constitutional law for their implementation',” the Bulgarian MFA says in a press release.

It adds that a fundamental principle of international law is Pacta sunt servanda - agreements must be kept, regardless of their multilateral or bilateral character.

"Non-implementation of signed agreements breaches trust, coherence and predictability in the relations between states and provokes retaliatory measures. We have always relied on our friends in North Macedonia for the implementation of all mutually agreed obligations in good faith, not for misinterpretations on whether and to what extent the EU-integration requires such implementation," says the Bulgarian MFA.

According to the ministry, the path of North Macedonia to EU membership has clearly layed-out parameters.

"It is irresponsible and counterproductive to disturb the hard-reached agreement and delicate balance with misinterpretations diverging from clearly established criteria on this matter by the Council of the EU. Especially dangerous are the attempts for manipulative presentation of conditions, previously agreed upon and set forth in the 2022 compromise, as some new requests by the Republic of Bulgaria," says the MFA.

It adds that the Negotiating Framework, which will be presented to North Macedonia following the completion of the opening phase of the accession negotiations, as agreed by the Council of the EU, specifically lays out the principles governing these negotiations. It also notes that "institutions of North Macedonia have yet to prove the seriousness, with which they plan to prosecute hate-crimes against Bulgarians in the neighboring country".