"Good-neighbourly relations are a horizontal criteria in the process of European integration and without them it is not possible to achieve EU membership. Building good neighbourliness requires trust, open dialogue, predictability and implementation of commitments". This is what Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev said at a meeting with his counterpart from the Republic of North Macedonia, Timcho Mutsunski, which took place in the margins of the Munich Security Conference.

Bulgaria's first diplomat underlined that Sofia's position on the European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia is clear and consistent. The European compromise of 2022 includes a set of measures and their full implementation is the only way forward. The inclusion of Bulgarians, on an equal footing with other peoples, in the constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia is only the first step, the implementation of which will allow Skopje to start accession negotiations. Georgiev was adamant that renegotiating or circumventing the agreements reached, behind which the whole EU stands, is not possible. I BGNES