Skopje, 26 September 2022 (MIA) – I will not comment on our relations with Bulgaria while the elections there are ongoing, because then all of our statements become a part of the political battle and I really would not want to influence that process, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani, at Monday’s press briefing in answer to a journalist’s question regarding the remarks made by the co-chair of the Bulgaria-North Macedonia joint commission on historical and educational issues on North Macedonia’s alleged lack of readiness for change. “I will withhold my comments until October 2,” said Osmani, adding that they have already discussed Dimitrov’s frequent political statements with the Bulgarian officials. Regarding the disputed history textbook, Osmani said that it has already been retracted based on a decision by the previous education minister due to ethnically offensive content. “There was a debate in the public and with a decision by the minister at that time, the textbook was retracted and we just informed the Bulgarian side that actually the book is no longer a part of the educational process,” said Osmani. The Foreign Minister stated that two points from the Protocol with Bulgaria have already been fulfilled and the Bulgarian side has been informed about this. “Regarding the first point, the history textbook has been retracted, and that was the country’s obligation, more so because of the ethnic hate speech, and not only towards Bulgaria but also towards other ethnicities in the country. And the second point, the results have been published within one month of the signing of the Protocol. So, these two points have already been fulfilled,” said Osmani. He underscored that the work group in charge of implementing the Agreement with Bulgaria has already been established and is expected to hold its first meeting this week. “It is not only the interdepartmental group, but also the working groups on individual topics, and this is a normal work process in order to monitor the implementation of the Agreement with Bulgaria,” added the Minister. ad/ba/