EU Enlargement Commissioner Pays Working Visit to Bulgaria over North Macedonia Accession Talks

European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi paid a one-day working visit to Bulgaria on Tuesday. In Sofia, Varhelyi met with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who said, quoted by his press secretariat, that Bulgaria expects effective action from the institutions of the EU to promote the values of democracy and respect for human rights in the Republic of North Macedonia.

Photo: BTACommissioner Oliver Varhelyi (L) and caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Svetlan Stoev

Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Svetlan Stoev also took part in the meeting. Rumen Radev stressed that 120,000 Bulgarian citizens in North Macedonia are also citizens of the EU, and Bulgaria relies on the support of European institutions for the effective respect of their rights.

Achieving progress in the process of European integration of the countries of the Western Balkans was the focus of the conversation between Rumen Radev and Oliver Varhelyi. Bulgaria is most interested in seeing its neighbours in the EU, but this requires the fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria for membership by North Macedonia, especially respect for human rights and the principles of good neighbourliness, which are at the heart of European cooperation, stressed the Bulgarian President.

The head of state also pointed out that the declarations and promises in the dialogue with North Macedonia no longer work, and Bulgaria expects clear legally binding decisions that will lead to sustainable and irreversible results. This will also accelerate the process of European integration for North Macedonia. Rumen Radev reminded that the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation with the Republic of North Macedonia signed in 2017 is not being implemented, and...