The head of state, Stevo Pendarovski, in today's press conference, said that the modified French proposal does not affect the Macedonian language and identity.

Pendarovski called the proposal a compromise, as he said that problems could arise in securing a majority for the constitutional amendments to include Bulgarians in the Preamble of the Constitution.

"The decision to accept the modified French proposal will neither be a historic triumph, as they would like to say from one side, nor a historical failure or debacle as they say from the other side.

In my opinion, it is a matter of a transit compromise for one of the phases of European integration, where three elements are important, and for this reason, according to me, the proposal in this format, at this stage, is acceptable", stated Pendarovski, among other things.

At the conference, Pendarovski commented on one of the theories and speculations that are being made about the new French proposal, that it will supposedly bulgarize the Macedonians.

"There is a fear among some that we can enter the European Union only as Bulgarians and in no other way.

Dear friends, I think we are all aware of how in general a Macedonian can become a Bulgarian.

With your wish, ours, mine, if we feel like it, many of our citizens do this by getting a Bulgarian passport.

The second way is through occupation, a foreign power comes here and tells them under force and threat that you must be written as Bulgarians, you were Macedonians now you are Bulgarians.

It does not exist in diplomatic history, especially in the modern one in the last century or two, that through bilateral or multilateral agreement someone has overnight made a people with a different ethnic identification.

This proposal does not do that either", said Pendarovski