17.06.2021
“I hope that what we have demonstrated today – the atmosphere of trust and mutual respect for national interests – would continue as we seek solutions since the European perspective for the Republic of North Macedonia and for the Western Balkans is in the interest of Bulgaria, the whole region and the European Union.”
Prime Minister Stefan Yanev made this statement to the media after a tête-à-tête with Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, and plenary talks between the two delegations.
“Currently our aspiration is to revive a salubrious environment – an environment of trust, friendship, honest discussion and open dialog – to help our experts find the right solutions that will be brought to the public in Bulgaria and in the Republic of North Macedonia and to enable the political leaderships of the states to find the right solutions so as to move forward,” Prime Minister Yanev said firmly.
The Prime Minister pointed out that Bulgaria supports strongly the European perspective for the Republic of North Macedonia and for the rest of the countries in the Western Balkans and that Bulgaria’s policy to that end had been unswerving and unchangeable for many years. “What we found is that today we have ‘a window of opportunity’ to work on unresolved issues as of now – in particular the implementation of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation of 2017,” Stefan Yanev stressed. Further, the Prime Minister said that as neighbors, good friends and fraternal nations Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia need constant communication and the opportunity for a more frequent exchange of views that are in the interest of our peoples and of the region as a whole.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev expressed confidence that the two countries could reach solutions to existing problems. Mr. Zaev appealed to the fraternal Bulgarian people to continue, through its leaders, to support the Republic of North Macedonia along its European path. “There is no other alternative for us. The most important thing is that we believe in European values,” stressed the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia. Further, Mr. Zaev said that his country would seize each opportunity to hold talks. “This very meeting today is a success and we are conveying a positive message as there can be no other relations between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia but relations of good neighborliness, cooperation and friendship and steps forward towards a European future for all,” Zoran Zaev said.
