Skopje, 6 October 2021 (MIA) — The steps and obstacles by the Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on behalf of Bulgaria are an insult to Macedonian citizens, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in Brdo near Kranj, where he is attending the EU-Western Balkans summit. PM Zaev reiterated that North Macedonia wanted to intensify talks with Bulgaria in the spirit of European good neighborly relations. “We say yes, we can and we have to. Both sides, immediately after the elections in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, as it behooves us, [need to show] sincere political will to take decisive steps and resolve open issues,” Zaev said. He added that the Macedonian identity, however, was not negotiable. He stressed that the summit strongly confirmed yet again that only one EU member state opposed North Macedonia's European integration and the start of membership talks with the Union. "Unfortunately, to my great disappointment and to the great disappointment of all our citizens, this blockade comes from our neighbor Bulgaria," Zaev said. He added the Macedonian people, with all their pacifism, couldn’t justify the blockade. “My people gave me a mandate to create a solution. They did not give me a mandate to justify the policies of the last century,” the prime minister said. “So far, no EU member state has had any objections to our reforms. Our EU integration progress should primarily depend on domestic reforms related to the achievement of European standards, and not on bilateral issues. This is why we committed to resolving bilateral disputes that had been dragging on for years, as evidenced by the Prespa Agreement and the Agreement with Bulgaria of 2017,” he added. Zaev noted that the country had taken all possible steps to unblock the EU enlargement process, not only for North Macedonia’s sake, but for the entire region’s sake. “Our country’s successful Europeanization has been recognized and confirmed by the decision of the European Council in March of last year to start negotiations with our country,” he continued. “We remain committed to our strategic goal of joining the EU by fully implementing European values ​​and standards in North Macedonia. That’s what our citizens want. We have to do it. North Macedonia is Europe; the Western Balkans is Europe,” Zaev said. He said the messages from French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the summit were clear. “Solutions require looking ahead, and not looking back,” Zaev said. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure President Radev has understood that message.” mr/