Macedonia PM Aims to Heal Breach With Bulgaria

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev will meet his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov and President Rumen Radev on Tuesday, amid optimism that the two countries can finally resolve their open issues by signing a long delayed agreement on good-neighborly relations.

There is optimism that such an agreement, on which Sofia insists, could be signed during or soon after Zaev's visit to Sofia.

Bulgaria has demanded signature of the agreement since 2012 as a precondition for Sofia's diplomatic support.

However, the two sides are yet to settle two key open issues, the naming of the languages in which the agreement will be signed and Bulgaria's insistence that Macedonia pledges not to interfere in Bulgaria's domestic affairs.

A diplomatic source from the Macedonian Foreign Ministry told BIRN that both sides are engaged in overcoming these issues.

"I cannot say whether we will make it on time for the [good neighbourly] agreement to be signed during [Zaev's] visit but there is a positive atmosphere and we are working hard," the source said on Monday.

The head of Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic Council, an NGO, Ismet Ramadani says Macedonia should use the new, more positive atmosphere in Brussels and Sofia to finally strike a deal.

Such a move could turn Bulgaria from being a potential obstacle into one of Macedonia's strongest allies when it comes to joining NATO and the EU.

"If these two issues are overcome, some kind of compromise will be found so the agreement can be signed, and then Bulgaria can help Macedonia a great deal," Ramadani said.

While Macedonian relations in Greece are strained by the dispute over Macedonia's name, which Greece has used to block Macedonia's membership of NATO and the EU, relations...