North Macedonia protests

Bulgaria is set to assert its stance on North Macedonia firmly at the upcoming European Council meeting, aiming to secure reaffirmation of previous conclusions regarding its neighbor and urging adherence to commitments crucial for advancing EU integration. This intention was communicated through a press release from Bulgaria's Council of Ministers.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly criticized the new government of North Macedonia, labeling its intentions as "unacceptable" for refusing to honor international commitments and agreements. This rebuke follows statements by North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski indicating a desire to renegotiate the negotiation framework with Bulgaria.

A prominent professor of international law at the University of Skopje Law School has slammed the new president of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska, and the leadership of the future ruling party VMRO-DPMNE over their "clear violation" of the Prespa Agreement with Greece, signed in 2018.

Following the victory of Gordana Siljanovska Davkova from VMRO-DPMNE in North Macedonia's presidential elections, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev reaffirmed his support for the European integration of North Macedonia. However, Radev emphasized the importance of adherence to the principles of good neighborliness and the Copenhagen criteria for membership.

North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani affirmed that Bulgaria's potential future demands on his country would not disrupt its European Union (EU) accession negotiations, highlighting the EU's framework as a barrier against such issues.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he would attend an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Skopje if Bulgaria allowed his plane into its airspace.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called on North Macedonia to finish the changes to its constitution.

She gave a joint briefing with Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski in Skopje, where she is visiting as part of her tour of the Western Balkans.

A senior US State Department official on Friday voiced hope that North Macedonia will be able to approve politically difficult constitutional changes that would help its bid to join the European Union.

Gabriel Escobar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Balkan policy, said during talks in the capital Skopje that the US strongly backs the country's EU accession bid.

With 70 votes "for", 47 "against" and not a single "abstention", the Macedonian deputies adopted the agenda of their 123rd meeting with a single item - the changes to include Bulgarians in the constitution, which should open the way to negotiations with the European Union.

The largest party representing North Macedonia's ethnic Albanian minority offered to pull its ministers from the government to meet a demand from the opposition to clear the way for European Union membership talks.