President Radev after the meeting with Republic of North Macedonia’s PM Zaev: I hope for a pragmatic approach with specific, sustainable results

The Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev is visiting Bulgaria. The focus of the visit is the deepening of the bilateral dialogue and the prospect for achieving real progress in the process of European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia.

Zaev also held a meeting with the Bulgarian head of state, President Rumen Radev, after which a briefing was given to journalists on june 17.

The Republic of North Macedonia is the most important close friendly country for us. That is why we need regular contacts, dialogue and cooperation, stressed President Rumen Radev.

Unfortunately, in recent years, these relations have reached a dead end, the dialogue has been frozen, and this has affected your prospect of joining the EU, Radev added.

The cooperation agreement from 2017 did not have specific binding conditions and deadlines, and this allowed for variable decisions and actions, said the President of Bulgaria.

Radev thanked his counterpart from the Republic of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski.

Our joint visit to Rome demonstrates our mutual will and signal to all our citizens for cooperation, friendship and understanding. And I am hopeful that I see this spirit at the government level as well, explained President Radev.

We should make sure that our people have a common European future. It is very important for us to have a dialogue and I welcome you for being here for an open, constructive dialogue, said President Radev.

I hope for a pragmatic approach with speciffic, sustainable results, which will lead to the start of negotiations for the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the EU and for our young people to build their future together, he said.

The President also explained that Bulgaria will donate 50,000 vaccines to the Republic of North Macedonia. Another initiative is being considered - young people from our western neighbour to come on vacation to Bulgaria, Radev explained.

For his part, Zoran Zaev said that the joint visit of the Presidents of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia to Rome gave a message to young people that they should continue to work together, to maintain friendship between the two peoples.

He is adamant that both sides should solve their problems on their own.

"We have friends all over the world who can help, but the solution is to help ourselves. I am convinced that we will succeed," he said. The message has already been sent to be friends, to be close, not to hate each other. Good relations will bring good to both peoples."

Zaev thanked for the initiative for delivery of vaccines to the Republic of North Macedonia and for the proposal for young people from his country to spend their holidays in Bulgaria.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, spoke with his Bulgarian counterpart, Stefan Yanev.

Yesterday, caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev told BNT that Bulgaria would not approve the negotiating framework with Republic of North Macedonia in its current form. He reiterated that the Bulgarian position is clear and consistent and there is a decision of the Parliament from 2019.

images by Dessislava Kulelieva, BNT