Skopje, 18 May 2023 (MIA) – After the constitutional changes working group drafts the amendments, the heirs of Goce Delchev will add the compatriots and heirs of Radev to the Macedonian Constitution, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski on Thursday in response to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev’s statement that “the Government in North Macedonia will be able to say it is building a modern multiethnic society once it includes Goce Delchev’s compatriots within its Constitution.”

The constitutional amendments, stressed Kovachevski, are a part of the country's Negotiating Framework with the EU.

“We are negotiating with the EU, not with Bulgaria, and this is why I think this is something that will unfold as a process, and something that has to happen since the citizens deserve to live in an EU member state,” said Kovachevski.

The PM reminded that a discussion is already being led within the working group over the drafting of the constitutional changes.

“Unfortunately, the opposition’s representatives are not participating in any important process. I personally believe that we have a priority this time to fulfill the tasks from the Negotiating Framework, however, we have to see how the discussion unfolds. Still, I believe we should stick to our priorities – opening chapters and resuming our path to full-fledged EU membership by 2030,” said Kovachevski.

The Bulgarian President told BGNES that the leadership in North Macedonia needs to convince its citizens, not Bulgaria, that it is building a democratic country.

“The Government of North Macedonia will be able to say it is building a modern, multiethnic society once it finds the strength to include Goce Delchev’s compatriots within its Constitution,” said Radev.

Photo: MIA Archive