The request for inclusion of the Bulgarian community in the Constitution does not contradict the interests of RN Macedonia, because the country has never had a problem recognizing different ethnic groups that have the opportunity to express their identity, cultural, historical attributes, including the Bulgarian community in the Republic of North. Macedonia. This was stated today at a press conference by Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, speaking about the road map with 5 + 1 issues, which were mentioned as a possible solution to the dispute at the summit in Brdo yesterday: by senior EU officials.
The question of the short name, the question of hate speech, the question of rehabilitation of the victims of communism, the work of the historical commission, the question of non-interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, and these 5 questions of the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution – these are the five points that are a constant topic of talks with Bulgaria and are within the framework of the attempt to preserve the intergovernmental commission and resolve the dispute.
The roadmap should be ready by the beginning of November and will contain solutions that must be reached throughout the negotiation process, the minister added.
“I think that Bulgaria is moving from the initial irrational position for a nation in two countries to a position in which it says that it has a Bulgarian community with its own identity and cultural attributes different from that of the majority. The very fact that together with other communities – Macedonian , Albanian, Turkish, is required to be included as a separate and Bulgarian community, is in line with the view that there are different ethnic communities in the RSM that have the right to express their attributes.This will happen, as the Prime Minister said, at the moment, “When the Constitution is opened because of EU membership, we have no problem including the Croatian and other communities, because this is the concept of governing the country in which we recognize the collective organization of citizens on the basis of ethnic characteristics,” Osmani said.
Regarding the other issues mentioned in the roadmap, he said that these are issues that have been discussed for a long time and he believes that a solution can be found.
According to him, reciprocity is not possible with regard to the inclusion of the Macedonian minority in the Constitution of Bulgaria, as these are two different constitutional provisions on the organization of citizens based on ethnicity in Northern Macedonia and the Republic of Bulgaria, and “Bulgaria according to its Constitution does not recognizes, unlike us, an organization of citizens based on ethnicity. “
“Therefore, this reciprocity is not possible, as the RNM is committed to the agreement that it will not interfere in the internal organization of the Republic of Bulgaria, ie in this constitutional order, which does not recognize organizations on ethnic grounds, but this does not mean that citizens do not have the right to express themselves as they wish, “Osmani said.
At the same time, a Macedonian publication astonished: It is discussing the possibility of the EU expelling Bulgaria because it is hindering enlargement!
Former Macedonian Ambassador Ljupco Arsovski speaks to New Macedonia regarding the presumption of encroaching on the option of terminating EU membership for Bulgaria, as a form of European pressure to seek a solution to the veto imposed on Macedonia. However, he believes that if the Union he wanted to do it, he should have done it by now.
“I think the EU will continue to look for other ways to put pressure on Bulgaria, but also to justify its behavior. However, after the summit in Slovenia, the fog over the causes of the Macedonian-Bulgarian dispute has risen for most European leaders and the picture of Bulgaria’s veto on Macedonia is clearer, European leaders make it clear that this is a bilateral issue that should not burden the enlargement process. But I see a potential danger in the experience of Bulgarian President Radev, who is cunningly trying to impose it on the EU by leveling the situation with Greece, that is, the Prespa Agreement, by implementing the Good Neighborliness Agreement with Bulgaria. of the option to remove from the EU agreements, I do not believe that they will take such a radical step towards Bulgaria, he said.
