Bulgaria–North Macedonia relations

The President of the European Council, António Costa, expressed his personal commitment to addressing bilateral issues between countries as part of the EU enlargement process. Speaking after the EU-Western Balkans summit in Brussels, Costa emphasized that the evaluation of progress toward EU accession should be based solely on a country's own merits, not hindered by bilateral disputes.

The European Union's new enlargement commissioner, Slovenian Marta Kos, has called on North Macedonia to amend its constitution as a prerequisite for continuing its EU accession process.

A Bulgarian citizen in Skopje, Borche Natsevski, was assaulted by two police officers reportedly due to his Bulgarian identity and his vocal expression of self-determination, reports OFFNews. This incident was revealed by Viktor Stoyanov, the chairman of the Macedonia Foundation, through a post on Facebook.

Discussions in North Macedonia are underway regarding potential constitutional changes, with former foreign minister Bujar Osmani asserting the necessity of a vote on the matter.

The Bulgarian Parliament has unanimously adopted a declaration with 178 votes in favor, addressing the ongoing "systematic and methodical destruction of the dialogue" between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, as well as provocative and offensive remarks made by political leaders in North Macedonia.

Former Bulgarian Prime Minister and current GERB leader Boyko Borissov stated that the Republic of North Macedonia's treatment of Bulgaria has resulted in Albania advancing in its European Union accession process. Albania has accepted the Bulgarian minority, while Borissov emphasized that North Macedonia must now confront the consequences of its actions.

EU ambassador in Skopje, David Geer, urged the Macedonian government to fulfill its obligation to include Bulgarians in the Constitution, stressing that the EU's negotiating framework will not change, BGNES reported.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has expressed sharp criticism towards the new government of North Macedonia, accusing it of refusing to acknowledge the terms "Bulgarians" and "Bulgarian" within its national framework.

“We have been seeing for a long time what was happening in North Macedonia”

The chairman of the Macedonia Foundation, Victor Stoyanov, has raised alarm over an incident involving the reported assault of a Bulgarian citizen, Yane Murgoski, by Macedonian police in Ohrid.