BRUSSELS – Bulgaria has sent an explanatory memorandum to the Council of the European Union which contains a framework position on the accession of North Macedonia to the EU, Mia.mk reported.
The document, supported by all political parties represented at the Bulgarian National Assembly, consists of six pages of elaborations on a “state-sponsored anti-Bulgarian ideology” in North Macedonia.
The memorandum, which touches upon historical events argues that North Macedonia has conducted “ethnic and linguistic engineering”.
Bulgaria also emphasized that there is an unresolved conflict between the two countries, which “could, upon accession (to the EU), negatively affect the decision-making within the EU”.
Furthermore, Bulgarian authorities argued that it is of utmost importance that North Macedonia finds a solution and that it needs to “break with the ideological legacy and practices of communist Yugoslavia.”
The memorandum stated that some of the main issues between Skopje and Sofia are the language, joint history, and minority issues.
Moreover, it argues that the North Macedonian refusal to accept the concept of “joint history” and the persecution of politicians who talk about the common past of the two countries is standing in the way of the work of the Joint Bulgaria-North Macedonia Commission on Educational and Historical Issues.
Bulgarian authorities emphasized that Skopje must adhere to the principles and the values of the EU and the good neighbour agreement signed between Bulgaria and North Macedonia in 2017 and that they hope that a mutually acceptable solution can be reached between the two countries.