Mickoski welcomes start of dialogue with Bulgaria, expects progress
North Macedonia's prime minister says international partners are aware of the talks. Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Petrova says trust is built through actions, not words.
Archive image · Photo: Government of the Republic of North Macedonia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said he was glad that dialogue with Bulgaria had begun and that his country's international partners were aware of it. He told local journalists he expected the dialogue to continue and the two sides to reach a solution at some point, adding that there should be progress in the coming period and the public would be informed.
Mickoski was responding to questions about when Skopje expects an end to the deadlock with Sofia and what he expected from Thursday's meeting in Sofia between Foreign Ministers Timcho Mucunski and Velislava Petrova. He said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had advised starting a dialogue during her last visit to Skopje. Dialogue when positions differ is what democracy is about, he said.
Petrova told BNT that Sofia is open to dialogue but expects existing commitments to be fulfilled. Trust is built through actions, not words, she said, stressing equal rights for Bulgarians in North Macedonia. She said she was not aware of any NATO mediation proposal.