Skopje, 21 October 2021 (MIA) – The status quo regarding relations with Bulgaria is exceptionally bad. Current politics of vetoes, pressure and blackmail create a negative atmosphere and are investment in antagonism and making enemies, not building friendships, Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov told Sitel TV on Thursday evening. He added that North Macedonia and Bulgaria seem to exist in parallel realities, stressing that Macedonian officials have not used hate speech, while demonstrations of revolt by citizens on social media are a result of the situation. “When you tell your neighbor that they’re a result of ethnic engineering and that their language is not a real language, revolt is expected. The preamble of the Friendship Treaty says that we’ll promote relations based on mutual respect and understanding,” Dimitrov said. The situation, he noted, reflects badly on trust in the European Union and impacts its influence in a very important European region – the Western Balkans. In light of previous experience with not getting a date to start talks from the EU, he urged caution in hopes, expectations and disappointments. “We met criteria, we’re ready, even more so than countries that have started the accession process in regard to some clusters. We’ve delivered, but the EU hasn’t. I think it’s time we stopped criticizing the EU as a whole, as some countries have strongly and openly offered their support. Our issue is with one country,” Dimitrov underlined. He added that the solution to the dispute with Bulgaria lies in aligning negotiation framework priorities with the Portuguese proposal. “Our progress – the accession process, EU success and future steps depend on whether we fight corruption, have media freedom and strong democracy at home, not on the success or failure of the commission on historical and educational issues. We have to focus on issues, such as hate speech, and find a single definition that both sides will use in bilateral relations,” the Deputy PM said. Asked whether he and the government will resign if EU fails to give North Macedonia in December a date to start negotiations, he said that he can only speak for himself and he’ll do what he thinks is in the best interest of the country and the NATO and EU cause. “We can’t be responsible for the actions of a third party. We’re only responsible for our actions. In this case, we’re mature and have made no mistakes despite great temptation,” Dimitrov added.