Skopje, 17 February 2022 (MIA) – Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani says the joint commission on history with Bulgaria should not be pressured into deadlines, the goal being to create a process of trust in settling disputable issues. FM Osmani told Sitel TV that the next expert meeting will take place in Skopje on February 23. “Those meetings will be held alternatively, namely we had a political-level meeting followed by an expert meeting in Sofia, we expect a political-level meeting in Skopje in the coming days and then the expert meeting on February 23,” says Osmani. In this way, he adds, experts focus on a certain topic, politicians give their own views and guidelines, and in this case we go through all filters. “We have an approach that is different from the ones before. These four joint working groups aim to create an environment while discussing disputable political issues on both political and expert levels,” says Osmani. Asked if EU talks could begin without a final solution by the history commission, the FM says the commission is a long-term process and its objective is to conserve the topic, so that societies and politicians do not debate on history and thus contaminate bilateral communication. “If they manage to contain the debate within the commission, societies will be relaxed. Of course, differences should be overcome but no one expects the commission to produce results within a certain deadline,” notes Osmani. He says the approach should not create pressure for deadlines but trust on both sides that the process will not be hindered or delayed on purpose, but rather take a normal course of an academic debate.