Skopje, 16 February 2025 (MIA) - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski on Sunday said the need to unblock the country's EU membership path was discussed at his meeting in Munich with the Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Georg Georgiev.

"We want a process that is predictable, that has a clear beginning and a clear ending. We, the government, will not accept any kind of solution or any kind of compromise under blackmail or under pressure. Every compromise should correspond with the reality we live in and with the European values promoted constantly to us in the whole region by Europe," Mucunski said in a statement to national broadcaster MRT.

The top diplomat said he and Georgiev talked about the need to unblock the country's EU membership path.

"We talked about the need for a clear and predictable road within the frameworks of the European standards and principles. We talked about the need for the implementation of adequate minority rights in neighboring Bulgaria, especially regarding the implementation of European Court of Human Right's judgements. When Europe is telling us about the implementation of European values, we too should defend our positions, i.e., the positions of all Macedonians living in countries worldwide, including Bulgaria," said Mucunski.

Mucunski and Georgiev met on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The two ministers bilateral differences, Bulgaria's blockade of the country's European path and the status of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria.

"Minister Mucunski expressed regret that instead of the good neighborly policy developing, the two countries' relations remain burdened by bilateral disputes, which became an unprincipled obstacle in the Macedonian EU integration process. He also said that all open issue should be solved in responsible manner through dialogue and with mutual respect and understanding because good neighborly relations, amongst other things, involve support for the European integration process as a strategic commitment of the country," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in a press release.

MIA file photo