The topic of European integration of our southwestern neighbor was among those discussed at the talks with Mark Rutte
The future of Northern Macedonia must be in the European family, there are no two opinions on this issue.
This was stated by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov after the meeting with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, held at the Council of Ministers.
The topic of the European integration of our southwestern neighbor was among those discussed at the talks, Petkov said.
“Now it is a matter of concrete constructive steps to go this way together. This is not a function of a calendar or expectations, this is a function of the common work we have to do together. When we do, our government will bring the issue into Bulgarian. Parliament and I hope that in the near future we will be able to advance and the European future of Northern Macedonia will become a fact, “said Kiril Petkov.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister announced that he and Rutte also talked about the accession of our country to the Schengen area.
According to Kiril Petkov, fulfilling the strongest task of the Bulgarian government – to eliminate corruption and increase the level of Bulgarian institutions – is the safest way to Schengen.
“Mark assured me that this is the way. It is not a matter of political statements, but to do our job,” said the Bulgarian Prime Minister.
On the topic of energy, he once again confirmed that Bulgaria will want to be part of the exceptions in connection with the European embargo on Russian oil.
Kiril Petkov expressed gratitude to his Dutch counterpart for the cooperation in the military field, including the Dutch fighters involved in the protection of Bulgarian airspace.
We must prepare in the best way for Europe after the war, after the Russian aggression in Ukraine, said the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte after the meeting of the Council of Ministers.
“The Netherlands is helping Bulgaria with F-35 fighters and it is important to be side by side, because the threat from Russia is not only a threat to Bulgaria or Romania, we must deal with it together, at European Union level and together with NATO. “, said Mark Rutte. We are all together, united, because divided we will be defeated, said the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
He assured Petkov that Bulgaria has friends everywhere in Europe and congratulated him on the stated desire of the new government to fight corruption and modernize the country.
The two prime ministers also expressed a desire to work on a number of joint initiatives and projects related to agriculture, the IT sector, artificial intelligence and the green economy.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Teodora Genchovska confirmed that the pressure on our country for the soon start of the negotiations with Skopje for accession to the EU continues.
“There is pressure, and it continues now, but our position is clear – we expect Northern Macedonia to start implementing the treaty and ensure the inclusion of Bulgarians in the preamble to their country’s constitution,” she told Bulgarian journalists in Brussels. Council of the EU.
From the very beginning, the whole process is based on the merits of Northern Macedonia, in no way tied to dates, she added in response to a question on whether progress can be expected in June. On the part of Northern Macedonia, clear concrete steps must be taken to ensure that the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation will begin to be implemented and will continue to be implemented, the minister said. We expect concrete actions, said Genchovska.
According to the Minister, the inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in the constitution of Northern Macedonia would not be enough to set a date for the start of negotiations with the EU. The other track is the treaty – it is internationally recognized, which means that Skopje must respect the rule of law and this is part of the Copenhagen criteria, Genchovska explained.
According to her, the upcoming visit of the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Oliver Warhey this week does not create additional pressure. We will continue to explain what our position is, what we expect from the negotiation process and what guarantees we want to be included in the negotiating framework, said Genchovska.
She added that Bulgaria’s official position is one. There are representatives of the cabinet and various institutions who, I hope, have already understood that there is no way for Bulgaria to have two foreign policies. If there is any progress on how our relations with Northern Macedonia will develop in the future, all this will go through a decision of the National Assembly, the minister said.
Source: BTA
