Behind closed doors: President Radev met North Macedonia counterpart Siljanovska-Davkova in Sofia

The President of the Republic of North Macedonia Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and the President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev met and held talks on September 13, the Head of State's press secretariat said.

Rumen Radev welcomed North Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova(PHOTOS)

This is the first meeting between them.

President Siljanovska-Davkova is visiting Bulgaria on the occasion of the Skopje National Opera and Ballet’s tour, which will be performing Giuseppe Verdi's opera Nabucco at the Sofia Opera and Ballet.

President Radev pointed out that music and culture are spheres that bring closer together, but he also stressed.

"Bulgaria has always been open to dialogue with North Macedonia and expects this dialogue not only to help our cultural rapprochement, to boost economic cooperation, tourism, but also to resolve the open issues between us. And they should be resolved on the basis of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation, the protocols signed to it and the conclusion of the European Council in the summer of 2022, adopted unanimously by all EU member states, adopted with the consent of North Macedonia, so that the way to full European integration can finally be opened for our neighbour," said Rumen Radev.

President Radev expressed expectation that Siljanovska-Davkova’s desire for dialogue and understanding will become a consistent policy of the government of North Macedonia.

"The Republic of North Macedonia and the government specifically has not abandoned the election rhetoric. Let the passions there calm down, let them return to realism. And the realism is very clear - our relations from now on will continue to be built precisely on the basis of the concluded agreements and the EU conclusion," President Rumen Radev added.

According to President Radev, the implementation of the transport corridor No 8, which is supposed to connect Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Albania, will be indicative.

"The commitment of North Macedonia’s leadership to Corridor 8 will be a clear indicator of the real European ambitions of North Macedonia for more connectivity and more security in our region. I expect that the expressed willingness for dialogue and for understanding by President Siljanovska will translate into a coherent policy of the Republic of North Macedonia’s government as well."

In May, the two Presidents were in audience with Pope Francis one after the other. They sought an opportunity to see each other, but due to their busy schedules, this did not happen.

Relations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia have deteriorated significantly in recent times after VMRO-DPMNE government came into power and the election of Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova as President. She has said more than once that there is a need for Skopje and Sofia to reinterpret the EU membership negotiation framework, without specifying what exactly she means. She believes that there is no need to include ethnic Bulgarian minority in the constitution as one of the state’s founding peoples. According to her, even if there are changes in the basic law, they should come into force after North Macedonia becomes a full member of the European Union.

Image by BGNES

President Rumen Radev's position after the elections in North Macedonia

Caretaker PM Dimitar Glavchev's position after the elections in North Macedonia

On the day of the vote, Siljanovska-Davkova said she will not make visits abroad unless specifically invited and announced that she would first like to meet the leaders of neighbouring countries. So far, she has not made an official or unofficial bilateral visit to another country, but has hosted the presidents of Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy and Poland. Most recently, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev visited North Macedonia for the inauguration ceremony of the previous head of state, Stevo Pendarovski. Today President Rumen Radev explained that Bulgaria strictly follows the protocol, according to which first there should be an official visit of the Bulgarian head of state to the Republic of North Macedonia, after which he will invite Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova for an official visit to our country.