Skopje, 6 July 2022 (MIA) - VMRO-DPMNE Vice President Aleksandar Nikolovski after Wednesday's meeting of the party working groups in Skopje unveiled the opposition party's remarks to the EU's draft general position on the negotiating framework and the EU's common position on the accession negotiations. VMRO-DPMNE, he said, demands that the sentence "EU took note of Bulgaria and North Macedonia’s respective unilateral declarations on the Macedonian language" be removed from the EU General Position. "Since the Macedonian language is independent, it's not Bulgaria's business to give an opinion on the Macedonian language. We propose that it should be clearly written that EU acquis documents and everything else in the negotiations will be in Macedonian," stated Nikolovski. According to him, VMRO-DPMNE also demands removal of the last paragraph in the negotiating framework, which includes the 2017 Friendship Treaty, as well as of the annual reviews and measures to monitor its effective implementation. "The progress of all other countries is measured according to the Copenhagen criteria, whereas for Macedonia specifically bilateral agreements are included and an article, which regulates that Bulgaria will have the control over our history, our textbooks, our education and our self-identification. We cannot accept that which is why we want it removed," Nikolovski told reporters. The top VMRO-DPMNE official also said that his party demanded that the first intergovernmental conference is not conditioned by the changing of the Constitution and that negotiations should start immediately. "We think constitutional changes are not necessary for Macedonia to start negotiations with the EU," Nikolovski stressed. Answering journalists' questions, Nikolovski said the negotiating framework can be amended before it is adopted by the country. "It is SDSM's problem that the party has promised someone that the negotiating framework will be adopted as it is now, it's not Macedonia's problem. The negotiating framework is not in force until Macedonia adopts it," he stated. Asked whether VMRO-DPMNE will continue to be part of the talks, Nikoloski said they are prepared any time to talk the adoption of their six demands that "protect all national and state positions."